3 dead on I-70 may be illegal immigrants
By Howard Pankratz
Denver Post Staff Writer


An accident on Interstate 70 involving a semi-truck and a van claimed the lives of three people, officials said Monday evening.

The accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. Monday a mile east of the Eagle exit, according to investigators.

"We suspect they may be undocumented immigrants. Colorado State Patrol immigration officers and ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents have been notified and dispatched," said State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins.

The driver of the semi wasn't injured, according to Chris Montera, manager of the Western Eagle County Ambulance District, which carried the injured to hospitals.

Montera said 11 people were treated, three of them pronounced dead at the scene. Seven others were taken to Vail Valley Medical Center. The hospital is 30 miles from the accident scene.

The State Patrol said there were 10 passengers in the van.

Investigators said they won't release the names of the victims pending notification of their families.

According to Kara Bettis, the Eagle County coroner, the causes of death were multiple injuries, including head trauma. Bettis said that one of those killed was a female, possibly a teenager, and the other two appeared to be men in their 20s.

Jonathan Hoehn, spokesman for the Vail Valley Medical Center, confirmed that seven victims were brought to the hospital. Two critically injured passengers were evaluated and stabilized in Vail prior to being transported by helicopter to Denver Health Medical Center for treatment.

Two of the injured were released and the three others have been admitted to the facility. They are in stable condition, Hoehn said.

Carl Rusnok of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said said some of his officers responded.

"The first responsibility is get these people treated, and they are being treated now," Rusnok said.

For a time after the accident, some eastbound lanes of the interstate were closed. But by late afternoon, all lanes were reopened, said Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Stegman said the accident occurred near the highway rest area east of Eagle.

Among the agencies responding to the accident were the Eagle County Ambulance District, Gypsum Fire Protection District, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado State Patrol.

The accident is still under investigation by the State Patrol, and no further details were available Monday evening.

Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.

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