Southbound Interstate 25 was briefly closed Friday near Pueblo after a crash involving military vehicles sent seven passengers to the hospital.
Around 4 a.m. Friday, Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to a crash on southbound I-25 just north of Pueblo, state officials said in a news release.
The crash involved a 2007 Ford Expedition that rear-ended a military Joint Light Tactical Vehicle with a trailer, according to the news release. The JLTV was traveling with other military vehicles from Fort Carson at the time of the crash.
The soldiers were on their way to the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site — located about 20 miles northwest of Trinidad — for a large-scale combat training exercise, according to a news release from Fort Carson officials.
State officials said the JTLV was pulling a trailer with flashing lights and a banner across the back that said, “Convoy Ahead.”
Investigators believe the driver of the Ford Expedition was speeding at the time of the crash, which caused the trailer and JLTV to roll onto its top and come to a stop in the interstate’s center median, state officials said. The SUV spun out and also came to rest in the median.
Paramedics took seven people from both vehicles — including all four soldiers in the JLTV and three passengers from the Ford Expedition — to the hospital, according to state officials.
Fort Carson officials said the four soldiers were taken to UC Health Park View Medical Center for evaluations “out of an abundance of caution.”
All three passengers in the Ford Expedition suffered “serious injuries,” state officials said. No update on their conditions was available on Friday.
The driver — a 29-year-old Denver man — is being investigated for driving under the influence, according to state officials.
“Possible charges in this crash will be filed upon the conclusion of the investigation and the return of chemical test results,” state officials said in the news release.
Initially, the left, southbound lane of I-25 between exits 110 and 104 near Pueblo was closed due to debris from the crash, according to state officials. Troopers later closed all southbound I-25 lanes to investigate and clean up the crash.
The interstate was reopened shortly after 10 a.m., according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
All of the military personnel and vehicles involved in the crash were stationed at Fort Carson — about 40 miles north of the crash — state officials said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Denver Post staff writer Seth Klamann contributed to this report.
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Originally Published: August 23, 2024 at 7:13 a.m.
