The driver who died in the horrific semi-truck crash the morning of May 13 at Avon has been identified as Scotty Welch, 63, of Omaha, Neb.
Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis released Welch’s name Friday after his identity was finally confirmed by dental records. Welch burned to death outside his crashed semi when it burst into flames.
Welch’s truck, which was pulling two loaded trailers, went out-of-control on I-70. It crashed over a railing and onto a roadway below. One trailer landed on an SUV and crushed it. The young couple inside was able to walk away from the crash, along with a passenger in Welch’s truck, before the truck exploded into flames.
Welch was driving from Chicago to California when the accident happened. The other driver in the truck told investigators the two had switched driving in Greeley, and he had been asleep in the berth when the truck went out of control. He managed to get out the passenger door before the explosion.
The other driver could not tell investigators what happened, said Lt. Greg Daly of the Avon Police Department. Daly said his department has concluded the investigation unless something turns up in a still incomplete toxicology report.
Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com
