AURORA, Colo.—The Colorado State Patrol is investigating whether fog or a medical condition were factors in a head-on crash between an SUV and a sedan going the wrong way on a Denver-area freeway.
The crash Sunday night killed both drivers.
Troopers say a Ford Taurus driven by 89-year-old Odean Wheetley was traveling south in the northbound lanes of E-470 near Quincy Avenue at 8:20 p.m. Sunday when it collided with a Chevrolet Yukon driven by 37-year-old Grier Laughlin. Both were from Aurora.
Witnesses saw the Taurus heading the wrong direction, and troopers were on the way to stop it when the crash happened. Wheetley had a valid driver’s license.
Troopers didn’t say what medical condition Wheetley might have had, but KMGH-TV in Denver reports she was reported missing earlier in the day.
Laughlin’s 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old twins, a boy and girl, survived the crash with minor injuries. KUSA-TV in Denver reports Laughlin was heading with the children to the airport to pick up his wife Sunday.
Laughlin was a coach for Colorado Water Polo and a financial planner.
“He was always helping people, but he never bragged about it,” friend Mark Isenburg told The Denver Post.
