Two semi-truck drivers and a woman from Avon have been issued careless driving citations for their roles in the 70-car pileup on Vail Pass on March 31.
The Colorado State Patrol today released more details of its investigation into one of the state’s largest pile-ups, which happened in the westbound lanes on the west side of Vail Pass during a heavy, wet snow storm.
Colorado Department of Transportation records show the chain law was put into effect only for eastbound or uphill traffic about 50 minutes before the first crash. The three pileups occurred in the westbound, downhill lanes.
The report stated three separate chain-reaction events occurred within 15 minutes of each other, involving 14 separate crashes. Investigators have identified 57 of the 70+ vehicles involved. A total of 22 people were taken to area hospitals. Lance Melting, a 39-year-old school teacher from Longmont died in the second chain-reaction event. The three drivers who were issued citations were involved in the first chain-reaction event.
Ticketed for careless driving, which the state patrol didn’t elaborate on, were Thomas Jackson, 55, of Escalanta, Utah, who lost control of his 2006 Peterbuilt truck and started the first chain-reaction; Roberto Alvarez, 41, of Tucson, Ariz., driving a 2006 Sterling tractor-trailer truck; and Gretchen Hardy, of Avon, who was driving a 2000 Volkswagen.
The 68-page report states that the first chain-reaction began at mile marker 188.8 at 1:05 p.m., March 31. A total of 30 vehicles were involved, causing minor to moderate injuries to 12 people.
The second chain-reaction occurred 10 minutes later roughly 500 feet up the road. Troopers said 11 vehicles were involved in this event, which caused Melting’s death, and injured six people. Three of those injured were a Grand Junction mother and her two daughters who were hit while running from their vehicle after it crashed. Their husband/father who had been driving was not injured.
The third chain-reaction occurred five minutes later another 500 feet up the road, involving 29 vehicles, including several tractor-trailer trucks. No one was injured.
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
