5 dead in Colorado pileup after wind-blown dirt “brown out” on I-25

Body

A chain of crashes on Colorado’s Interstate 25 near Pueblo killed five people after blowing dirt made visibility “next to nothing” for drivers, authorities said. The Colorado State Patrol said the pileup involved more than 30 vehicles, including seven semitrailers, after heavy winds kicked up parched soil from along the interstate.

Authorities initially said four people died and 29 people were injured in the crashes on Tuesday. The patrol later said one of the people hospitalized after the crash died of injuries, bringing the total deaths to five.

Maj. Brian Lyons, of the Colorado State Patrol, said dirt from dry land along the route was blown across the interstate around 10 a.m. Tuesday and created what he described as a “brown out.” He said, “Visibility was next to nothing,” as the dust cloud reduced what drivers could see through the airborne haze.

The patrol reported that injured people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to severe. It also said there were crashes on both sides of the interstate, but that the southbound-side crash involved only property damage.

Gusts of up to around 70 mph (113 kph) were reported in the region Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Video from a driver stuck in traffic showed waves of dirt billowing across the interstate and the wreckage becoming visible through the dusty haze.

One vehicle involved was a pickup hauling a livestock trailer. The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region said it was called to help after the trailer was damaged and some animals were trapped while others ran loose; it said four of the sheep—initially described as goats by authorities—were too severely injured to recover.

Trooper Sherri Mendez said the cause of the crashes, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from Pueblo, is still under investigation. The patrol said investigators will consider the lack of visibility as one of the factors, while also looking at other potential causes.

Beyond the interstate crashes, the patrol said strong winds hitting eastern Colorado on Tuesday, along with warm weather and very dry conditions, fanned wildfires and contributed to flight delays at Denver’s airport. It said more strong winds and dry conditions elevated fire danger again on Wednesday.