The driver of a semi-truck hauling two trailers was distracted by his cellphone and ran his rig off a metro highway this morning causing a massive rush-hour traffic snarl, authorities said.
The driver, Aaron Dixon, 42, of Lakewood, was not seriously injured but was taken to Rose Medical Center by ambulance as a precaution, said Trooper David Hall of the Colorado State Patrol.
The crash happened about 5 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 76 near East 88th Avenue, Hall said.
Dixon was hauling a double trailer with the rear trailer empty and the lead trailer full of assorted goods including low-level radiation medical supplies, Hall said.
Dixon was “distracted” by his cellphone and ran the truck off the right side of the highway, striking a guardrail, Hall said. Debris from the guard rail hit an SUV, a sedan and a second semi-truck, causing secondary accidents.
None of those drivers was injured.
After striking the guardrail, the double trailer rolled on to its side and slid into a metallic pole supporting a highway sign. The double trailer wrapped around the pole.
Drivers using cellphones on the highway create perilous situations, Hall said.
“Cellphones and driving don’t mix, this could have been a multi-fatality accident,” Hall said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
The accident remains under investigation and charges against the driver are likely, Hall said.
Traffic on I-76 was backed up for miles as the eastbound section of the highway was down to one lane.
As of 11:45 a.m., the Colorado Department of Transportation had reopened two lanes eastbound but said backups and delays persist.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
