Two people were injured early Wednesday morning including a driver believed to be under the influence of alcohol and marijuana who ran a red light at a busy Wheat Ridge intersection and crashed into an RTD bus, pushing it into a Jeep, authorities say.
The injured people were taken to area hospitals, said Sara Spaulding, spokeswoman for the Wheat Ridge Police Department. The extent of their injuries was not immediately available.
Only two passengers were on board the bus at the time of the crash. Paramedics evaluated both and neither asked to be taken to the hospital, Spaulding said.
The major accident at the busy intersection of 38th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard is guaranteed to snarl traffic, Spaulding said. Investigators will be on scene for another two to three hours. During that time both Wadsworth and 38th are closed, she said.
UPDATE: Wads still closed at 38th. Two cars, RTD bus. Drivers of cars transported but No passengers.
— Wheat Ridge Police (@WheatRidgePD)
The alleged intoxicated driver was driving a Toyota 4Runner west on 38th just before 5:30 a.m. when the driver ran the red light and careened into the northbound bus, pushing it into the path of a Jeep Liberty, which was also on northbound Wadsworth, Spaulding said.
The crash happened “right smack in the middle of Wheat Ridge,” she said. “That bus was in the middle of the intersection when it was struck.
“It’s a major roadway for us at rush hour,” Spaulding said. “Our priority was to let commuters know.”
