Two people were struck and killed as they attempted to change a tire on the side of westbound Interstate 70 near Rifle on Wednesday morning, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The collision happened about 8:30 a.m. in Garfield County, according to Trooper Nate Reid.
Reid said the truck that hit the two people stopped on scene. Authorities late Wednesday identified the victims as David Moore Jr., 19, of Clifton, and Timothy Randall, 30, of Grand Junction. The men stopped to help an elderly couple in a Ford pulling a cattle trailer change a tire.
The truck driver, who has not been charged, was identified as Derek Thompson, 30, of Grand Junction.
The patrol said the westbound lanes of the highway were closed at milepost 72 in west Parachute because of the crash. Traffic was rerouted onto U.S. 6 for more than five hours, with I-70 reopening just before 2 p.m.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
This story has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to to a source error, it was reported the two men killed were in the vehicle pulling a cattle trailer. The men were in a separate vehicle.
