Former Colorado State Trooper reacts to deadly I-70 crash

The lead up to the massive blaze and deadly crash on Interstate 70 Thursday was caught on a YouTube video, and a semi-trailer is seen speeding by traffic at a stand-still.

“Did you see the speed of that? I mean in a matter of seconds, those people didn’t even have a chance,” said Gary Pike, the director of United States Truck Driving School in Fountain.

Pike, a 26-year veteran of Colorado State Patrol, now trains young men and women on how to prevent deadly accidents.

“It’s very disheartening. Over the years, I saw a lot of death,” said Pike.

In many cases, it was death that could have been prevented.

“You saw how fast that truck went by, no one can respond to that,” Pike said.

A big question on everyone’s mind: How could a driver be driving that fast into stand-still traffic?

“Equipment failure, driver fatigue, driver distraction that would probably be the main factors I would think the accident investigators will be looking at,” he said.

Those are all possible causes, but what we can tell by a video clip taken moments before the crash is the truck was not even close to stopping.

“The truck was clearly speeding,” said Pike. “It takes a lot longer for a truck to stop.”

According to Pike, a truck carrying an 80,000-pound load going around 55 mph will take 70 yards to make a complete stop.

It makes you question was this just careless driving or were the truck’s brakes not working?

“That’s something people should keep in mind too when they’re driving around trucks,
there’s a lot of issues where [trucks] will be cut off, and they won’t have enough time to stop,” Pike said.

Pike also had an important reminder for any of us, one that could save our lives.

“Take it slow and be a defensive driver,” said Pike, who responded to many deadly crashes over the course of his 26-year career. “I feel bad for the victims in this … it’s disheartening, it really is.”

Background Information:

Update: Authorities have confirmed that four people are dead following a crash on I-70 Thursday. CDOT confirmed that the westbound lanes were reopened at about 1:55 p.m. The eastbound lanes are still closed.

Denver 7 reports authorities have identified the driver of the crash as Rogel Lazaro Aguilera of Houston.

Aguilera, 23, is being held on suspicion of four counts of vehicular homicide. He hasn’t been formally charged yet but he will make his first court appearance on Saturday.

(Photo from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)

Lakewood Police are working with the coroner’s office to identify the deceased.

Police are also looking into how the driver lost control of the truck.

CDOT says both sides of I-70 will be closed until Saturday morning.

Previous Story

A semi-truck driver has been taken into custody and charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide following a fatal crash on I-70 in Lakewood.

The fiery crash happened at 4:50 p.m. Thursday and authorities say multiple people have died. As of Friday morning, the number of fatalities is unknown as crews are investigating the scene. Investigators are working to find out the final count of cars to people.

Six people were taken to the hospital and their condition is unknown at this time.

According to the Lakewood Police Department, 28 vehicles were involved in the crash – 24 cars and 4 semis.

The driver who was taken into custody was injured but the injuries are not considered serious.

The Lakewood Police Department reports that after an overnight investigation and interviews, they have probable cause to charge the driver.

Authorities say the driver is not from Colorado and that they don’t believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. There is also no indication that the crash was intentional.

The driver is expected to be taken to the Jefferson County Jail sometime on Friday.

No further information was given about the driver.

According to CDOT, the interstate is expected to open sometime on Saturday. CDOT has yet to assess the damage on the scene due to the ongoing investigation.

CDOT is asking drivers in the area to use caution and to not get out of their cars and take pictures.

KRDO will continue to bring you updates on this developing story.