El Paso County residents plead for more enforcement on HWY 24 after crash kills two

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Residents of the Meridian Ranch community, who live just off of Highway 24 in northeast El Paso County, are hoping for increased enforcement by Colorado State Patrol (CSP) to crack down on speeding and drunk driving, after another serious wreck on the highway left two people dead, including a 12-year-old girl.

CSP says the crash on Wednesday night was caused by the driver of a Chevy Silverado, going westbound on Highway 24 between Judge Orr Road and Curtis Road, when it crashed head-on into a Jeep Wrangler going eastbound. The crash killed a 41-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl and left a 9-year-old in serious condition.

The driver of the Silverado was also left in serious condition as of Wednesday morning. Police are investigating the crash, with factors of speed and alcohol under consideration.

"For it to be a child involved as well, that's incredibly difficult. And you know, somebody lost half of their family, and now that other family is destroyed as well." lamented Trisha King, a resident of over three years in the nearby Meridian Ranch community off of Highway 24. King was the victim of a DUI crash herself years ago. "It has such an impact on my life that, and I'm here, I'm very lucky to be here. So it's really sad," she said.

She and others in the neighborhood say that the crash just adds to a long list of why drivers need to be cautious on the highway, especially at night.

"It's just not a good road. Like if you did have to swerve, there's not a lot of shoulder there. And so it just puts you in this like non-winning situation" explained Alison Yowell.

Yowell said that she had been driving with her daughter on Wednesday night around 10:00 p.m., shortly before the crash was reported to have happened by CSP.

"We traveled that road frequently. Um, you know, being the two lanes that it is, and most of the locations around here, it is scary thinking that can happen to any of us," she explained.

Yowell and King both said that increased enforcement from State Patrol would be appreciated and beneficial in the rural area, where police are often not patrolling since they are outside of Colorado Springs.

"You know, getting more people to be aware of, you know, not speeding, not drinking and driving, that type of thing. Absolutely. I think several of us would be in favor of that." said Yowell.

Both King and Yowell also have children who are teens and are either driving or on the cusp of driving in the near future, and they say the Highway to get in and out of their neighborhood troubles them.

"It just really worries me, you know, to put them out on the road," said Yowell.

"You can be the world's best driver, but you're still on the road with hundreds of other people every single day." is what King says she tells her kids often.

CSP responded to KRDO13's request for comment on the concerns of residents. They stated in an email that, "the local CSP troop is aware of the traffic problems on Highway 24 and they do increase enforcement in that area when possible."

CSP was unable to provide specific data in regards to fatal crashes along the stretch of Highway 24 between the outer limits of Colorado Springs and Calhan, CO, but they did provide data on fatal crashes in El Paso County since 2022, indicating a decline of sorts, from a trend in recent years:

• In 2022, CSP responded to 26 fatal crashes
• In 2023, CSP responded to 26 fatal crashes
• In 2024 so far, they have responded to five