Two teens were killed early this morning while returning home from a Denver Nuggets game when the car they were in was struck from behind on Interstate 25, officials say.
Damien Noyes, 14, and his sister, Angel Noyes, 13, were killed in the accident that happened 12:11 a.m. on northbound I-25 near 104th Avenue, Northglenn police spokesman Steve Sanders said.
The Noyes were riding in the back seat of a Ford Escort when the car was struck, Sanders said.
Glenn Ryburn of Northglenn, who drove a Chevrolet Blazer into the back of the Escort, is in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center.
Phillip Chavez, the driver of the Escort, suffered minor injuries. Reyna Padilla-Chavez, a passenger in the same car, was treated for injuries and released.
Sanders said police are awaiting the results of toxicology tests on both drivers involved in the crash to determine whether they had been drinking.
“Alcohol was a factor,” Sanders said. “Obviously there is more to this than we can tell.”
A report by a witness suggested that the crash was a road-rage incident, but that appears to be inaccurate, Sanders said. The collision was unintentional, he said.
Sanders said he is hoping that other witnesses will call police about what they saw. Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call officer Kurt Barnes at 303-450-8893.
Police have not yet been able to speak with Ryburn, the driver of the Blazer, because of the nature of his injuries.
Sanders said he does not know whether the driver of the Blazer had also attended the Nuggets game.
When police arrived at the scene, both vehicles were pulled over to the emergency lane on the right side of the highway.
The teen victims were trapped in the back seat of the Escort, according to a news release. Officers checked for signs of life but didn’t find any.
Wes Fothergill, spokesman for the Thompson Valley school district, said the victims were Conrad Ball Middle School students in Loveland. Damien was in eighth grade and Angel was in seventh grade, he said.
The family of the two victims called the principal of Conrad Ball, who opened the school, which has an enrollment of 672 students, this morning for staff and students to talk or to make calls. School officials brought food to the family of the two students, Fothergill said.
The district crisis team, including counselors from throughout the district, will be at Conrad Ball on Monday to help staff and students through this time, he said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
