A two-pickup accident at South Kipling Parkway and West Kentucky Avenue on Monday morning killed 84-year-old Ormal J. Jones, Lakewood police said today.
Jones was driving a 2003 Chevrolet pickup on his way to a nearby bowling alley when he was involved in a wreck with a 2003 Dodge pickup driven by Gregory J. Vacca, said Steve Davis, spokesman for the Lakewood Police Department.
Vacca, 29, an off-duty Denver police officer, had just completed his night shift, according to Davis.
Davis said Jones was northbound on South Kipling and apparently turned left at West Kentucky Avenue in front of Vacca’s vehicle, which was southbound on Kipling.
There were no passengers in either vehicle.
Both Jones and Vacca were taken to area hospitals, where Jones died a short time later. Vacca suffered injuries, but they were not considered life-threatening.
Davis said the investigation is continuing to determine the exact cause of the accident. Investigators must wait for test results before making a determination on whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the accident, said Davis.
Although the accident occurred at 8:35 a.m. Monday, investigators were at the scene until early Monday evening, taking photographs and measurements.
Lakewood investigators have interviewed at least nine witnesses, said Davis.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
