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No serious crashes reported during storm

Matt Stensland
Steamboat Pilot & Today
SteamboatPilotToday

— The first major snowstorm of the season caused havoc on Interstate 70, and police responded to 10 crashes in Routt County.

“This is kind of the first one down in the valley,” Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Scott Elliott said. “It’s usually pretty busy.”

The snow started around noon Thursday but did not start sticking to the pavement until around 3 p.m.



That is when the crashes started happening, but there were no serious injuries reported.

“We were busy,” West Routt Fire Protection District Chief Dal Leck said.



The first crash occurred at about 3:20 p.m. east of Hayden near mile marker 115 on U.S. Highway 40.

There were four other crashes in West Routt. One crash on Routt County Road 27 involved a car that rolled over. Another crash on U.S. 40 involved a car that hit an elk.

Elliott wanted to remind drivers to slow down, not pass, drive safely and be aware of the possibility of wildlife.

“We’ve been getting a lot of elk and deer hit lately,” Elliott said.

On Rabbit Ears Pass, a chain law was in effect, and there were numerous semis that slid out.

It was a different story on I-70, which was closed down because of multiple accidents, including a 15-vehicle pileup on Floyd Hill in Clear Creek County, the Denver Post reported.

In Summit County, the Summit Daily reported there was a tragic crash involving a car that fell more than 100 feet from the cliffs on Ptarmigan Trail Road onto the interstate. The car landed on its roof in the westbound lane of I-70, and the driver died in the accident.

Winter driving conditions are expected to return Monday night or Tuesday. Joel Gratz with opensnow.com wrote that the storm will approach from the southwest. It is expected to favor the southern mountains.

Snow is also expected Thanksgiving Day and Friday.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland


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