At least four people were killed, and dozens were injured when more than 30 vehicles crashed on a Colorado interstate during a powerful wind storm Tuesday morning, according to state police.
The massive pile-up of vehicles — including several semis, pickups pulling horse trailers and personal cars — collided just after 10 a.m. local time on the northbound Interstate 25 near Pueblo, Maj. Brian Lyons with the Colorado State Patrol told reporters during a press conference.
Four unidentified individuals in separate vehicles were confirmed dead, and at least 29 other people were transported to local hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious, Lyons said.
The 30-car collision happened during “adverse weather conditions,” including “high winds” that blew dirt and created dangerous “brownout” conditions on the roadway.
“This was one of those storms that came through when the wind picked up very quickly, and that location down there, due to the lack of moisture, the dirt and everything just transversed all over I-25,” Lyons said.
“Visibility was next to nothing,” the major added.
One of the vehicles was also carrying a trailer that housed 32 goats. Four of the goats were killed in the harrowing crash while the others were safely removed.
Both sides of the highway were reopened late Tuesday after crews spent hours clearing the scene, according to KRDO.
Officials estimate that at least 30 vehicles were involved. APThe incident remains under investigation, and authorities are currently analyzing how the initial crash took place, Lyons said.
“Any time that someone is injured or any time that there is a life lost, it’s something that impacts all of our community and everyone that’s going to respond to those,” he told reporters.
“So we just have to make sure that we do our due diligence and, like we do day in and day out, we’re going to put 100% of our effort into knowing what’s going on to make sure we can answer as many questions as we can.”
Both sides of the highway are closed near the crash scene. AP


