Two people were injured Monday morning in a pair of crashes that shut down eastbound Interstate 76 near Commerce City, according to law enforcement.
Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to the crashes just after 4:20 a.m. Monday, according to a news release from the agency.
The driver of a 2015 gray Subaru hit the brakes as he approached a semitrailer on eastbound I-76, swerving to avoid hitting it. When the Subaru driver swerved, he hit a separate semitrailer and then the concrete barrier along the highway median, according to the release.
The Subaru spun out after the initial crash and collided again with the 2020 Volvo semitrailer originally traveling behind it before coming to rest in the highway’s middle lane, state patrol officials said. An unspecified number of vehicles then sideswiped the Subaru.
The man exited the car and left the road, but his Subaru was abandoned in the middle lane with no lights on, state patrol officials said. Shortly after the first crash, an eastbound 2012 black Hyundai Elantra crashed into the unoccupied car.
Paramedics took the 31-year-old man driving the Subaru to the hospital with moderate injuries and the 66-year-old woman driving the Hyundai to the hospital in critical condition, according to the agency.
“This crash was originally investigated as one crash,” state patrol spokesperson Sherri Mendez said. “I can’t give an estimate between the two crashes. Both crashes came in as one call.”
The Subaru driver was cited for careless driving causing serious bodily injury. The semitrailer driver remained on scene but was not injured.
Eastbound I-76 was closed for roughly three hours between 88th and 96th avenues for the crash cleanup and investigation, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. All lanes had fully reopened by 7:30 a.m. Monday.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
