One person was killed and eight others were injured this morning on snowy I-70, when a Sprinter van transporting a youth hockey team from California smashed into a CDOT plow truck near Loveland Ski Area.
Colorado State Patrol reports the fatal wreck happened just before 9 a.m. The driver of the van died on scene. One victim was rushed by ambulance to a Flight For Life helicopter. Seven others were taken by ambulance to the hospital, including five juveniles.
Their conditions are unknown. Two other vehicles were involved. Those drivers walked away.
Eastbound I-70 was closed at Silverthorne Exit 205 for nearly eight hours. It reopened to commercial motor vehicles around 3:20 p.m. It reopened completely at 3:50 p.m.
Light snow fell overnight and was still falling when the van and plow collided. It was just enough snow to make I-70 treacherous on both sides of the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels.
Images from Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office show the plow truck sitting precariously on a snowy shoulder. Video does not show the Sprinter van, although a tow truck with a large crane was spotted via webcam pulling one vehicle up a steep embankment.
At least one vehicle ended up on westbound I-70, closing one lane there for several hours. Traffic was backed up more than 8 miles around noon.
Drivers stuck on the eastbound tunnel approach this morning were sent back to Silverthorne. They used a service road that circles just above the tunnels.