Five illegal immigrants — including an 8-year-old girl who was flown by helicopter to an Aurora hospital with serious injuries — were hurt in an accident on icy Interstate 70, authorities say.
The girl, whose identity has not been released, was taken to Children’s Hospital after the one-vehicle rollover near Idaho Springs about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, said Chief Dave Wohlers of the Idaho Springs Police Department.
The four other injured people were taken to different Denver hospitals, Wohlers said.
“They were driving too fast for the conditions,” Wohlers said.
The five injured people, including the parents of the 8-year-old girl, were among six in the SUV traveling from Nevada to Nebraska. Three of the six were children, Wohlers said.
The Police Department contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because the occupants of the SUV only had identification from Mexico, he said.
Federal officers confirmed that the people in the SUV are illegal immigrants, said Jeff Copp, ICE’s district chief based in Denver.
They will be detained after their medical treatment and deported back to Mexico, Copp said.
Snowpacked and icy roads have proved treacherous for many illegal immigrants who are not accustomed to driving in such winter conditions, Wohlers said.
“We usually see a rash of accidents this time of year,” Copp said.
Four people were killed in a Dodge minivan packed with 15 illegal immigrants in November 2006 near Idaho Springs during a snowstorm.
In that accident, the driver was eastbound on Interstate 70 when he lost control on a snowpacked curve, hit a tree and the van rolled.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
