A tractor-trailer truck that slammed into a State Patrol car this morning left one motorist dead and seriously injured a trooper and a third person.
The trooper was investigating an accident on northbound Interstate 25 near Walsenburg when the cruiser was hit from behind, according to Master Trooper Ron Watkins .
Two people involved in the previous crash, along with the trooper, were seated in the patrol car due to bad weather.
One of the two people involved in the earlier incident was killed. The trooper, whose name was not released, suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to St. Mary Corwin hospital in Pueblo.
The truck driver and the second passenger were both taken to Spanish Peaks Medical Center in Walsenburg. The surviving passenger was subsequently airlifted to St. Mary Corwin in Pueblo.
Two weeks ago, the State Patrol — in a concerted campaign — said it would start ticketing drivers who did not pull over an additional lane from a State Patrol car or other emergency vehicles parked along a highway.
The Patrol said it was doing so because of fatal collisions involving the deaths of first-responders, police and state-patrol personnel investigating accidents.
Watkins said this afternoon that motorists on I-25 northbound should expect delays and backups if traveling in the area of the fatal accident, as only one lane is open in each direction.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
