APRIL 3, 2015
BOULDER, COLORADO (AP)
A spring snowstorm and icy roads caught Colorado drivers by
surprise Friday, causing a 39-vehicle pileup near Boulder and other bad wrecks
that shut down highways during the morning commute.
No serious injuries were reported in the crashes on U.S.
Highway 36 between Boulder and Denver, but tow-truck drivers were kept busy
hauling away damaged cars.
Lisa Lai told the Daily Camera newspaper she avoided hitting
a crash in front of her and ended up propped against a highway barrier — and
out of the way — as other peoples' vehicles piled up.
"My car was just sitting there on this little island on
its own," she said. "It was pretty surreal. I feel pretty lucky
today."
In Aurora, near Denver, one person died after being thrown
from an Oldsmobile Bravada that lost control and rolled on an icy stretch of
Interstate 225, striking a passing public bus.
The only person on the bus was its driver, who wasn't hurt.
Another person in the Oldsmobile was taken to a hospital with injuries that
were not life-threatening, police said.
Near Fort Carson, the Colorado State Patrol responded to a series
of rush-hour crashes involving a total of nearly 20 cars.
In the mountains, Interstate 70 was temporarily closed after
several trucks spun out on snowy Vail Pass.
At lower elevations, the storm left only light snow on
grass, and roads were largely clear because of recent warm weather.
However, motorists driving at normal speeds were surprised
by icy patches, especially on bridges, said Trooper James Schmidt of the
Colorado State Patrol.
"We're in Colorado. We have four seasons in one
day," Schmidt said after the sun emerged.
Source:ap.com