AVON — Last Sunday morning was quiet in Avon as people ran their errands and headed out to enjoy the day. Then a truck fell out of the sky.
That is how witnesses to what might be the most horrific accident in this I-70 town’s history describe what happened to shatter that quiet day.
A truck hauling two trailers filled with household goods was headed west on Interstate 70 when it drifted into a guardrail. It was jerked around violently on the interstate before one trailer snapped off and crashed onto the roadway below. It landed on top of an SUV carrying a young couple headed to a tennis match.
The rest of the rig came down next, turning into a diesel-fueled bomb. Minutes later, it exploded in a mushroom of fire that could be seen a mile away by residents sitting out on their condo decks.
The fire killed the truck driver.
Witnesses call what happened before the explosion a miracle. The couple in the crushed car walked out of a thick cloud of dust and debris kicked up by the falling rig. Their Honda was a mangled mess, but they had only minor injuries — among them deep bruises where their seat belts had held them and likely saved their lives.
“It was the most surreal thing I have ever seen,” said witness Rich MacCutcheon, who was driving behind the couple.
Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com
