Adams County – Two Colorado State Patrol troopers, helping a driver who had lost part of a load from a flatbed trailer, were hit by a pickup truck today in Adams County.
The incident happened at about 4:40 p.m. on eastbound I-76 near 96th Avenue, said Trooper Gilbert Mares, a patrol spokesman.
One trooper was in critical condition and the other in serious condition, Mares said.
The names of the troopers were not released.
The two troopers were assisting Terence Rice of Erie, the driver of a 1998 Dodge pickup and trailer, who had lost one of two plastic chemical tanks onto the highway.
The Dodge and trailer were off the interstate and in the center median, said Master Trooper Ron Watkins, a patrol spokesman.
The troopers had stopped to help the driver when they were hit by a green Ford F-150 pickup truck that had drifted off the eastbound lanes.
The trooper with critical injuries flown by helicopter to Denver Health Medical Center, Watkins said. The trooper who suffered serious injuries was taken to Denver Health by ambulance.
The Ford narrowly missed the driver of the Dodge truck.
“I don’t know if the Ford hit the trailer or the troopers first, but according to the driver, the Ford missed him by (just) two feet,” Mares said.
The driver of the Ford F-150 was not identified Thursday night. He was not injured.
The highway eastbound remained closed late into the night, but reopened shortly before midnight.
The North Metro Technical Investigation Team will take over from the state patrol because of possible conflicts of interest.
Mares said: “That’s a good thing, because we need to remove ourselves from the investigation and remain neutral.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
