A crook speeding the wrong way on I-70 before dawn today is to blame for a multi-vehicle pileup near Bakerville, closing eastbound lanes miles away in Summit County.
Colorado State Patrol reports it all began in Idaho Springs around 3:15 a.m., where police had reports of an alleged thief in a Mitsubishi Endeavor. The suspect fled police and merged onto I-70 heading the wrong way.
The suspect sped westbound in the eastbound lanes toward Georgetown, narrowly missing a Clear Creek sheriff’s deputy. More patrol vehicles followed, passing by Georgetown and Silver Plume as the suspect fled toward the Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels. The pursuit continued for almost 20 miles before coming to an abrupt end.
“During the pursuit, the Endeavor sideswiped a Toyota Camry, causing the Camry to crash into a Kenworth semi hauling a trailer,” state patrol says in a statement. “During the crash, the fuel tank on the semi ruptured, causing diesel fuel to leak.”
This fuel spill closed eastbound I-70 near Bakerville for close to four hours. Traffic was stopped at Bakerville and eastbound I-70 at the tunnels until just after 7:30 a.m.
Soon after the crash the suspect was arrested and taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries. No one else was injured.
An investigation is ongoing through state patrol and Clear Creek authorities. The suspect’s name has not been released, and charges are pending.