A fatal accident this morning closed the westbound lanes of I-70 at the East Vail exit for five hours.
The three-car accident happened about 4:30 this morning when a van hit a fuel truck as the truck was in the emergency turnaround, Vail police said in a news release.
After the initial crash, a third car hit the van.
The driver of the van, a 34-year-old man from Hudson, was killed. His name was not released.
The drivers of the truck and third vehicle were taken to Vail Valley Medical Center.
The truck driver was a contractor working for the Colorado Department of Transportation I-70 overlay project, the release said.
Traffic was routed to the frontage road while police cleared the scene. The interstate reopened at 10 a.m., police said.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
