Five dead after head-on crash, car fire in Grand County

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado State Patrol has confirmed five people are dead after a head-on crash and subsequent car fire on Highway 9 Monday morning.

CSP said it was notified of the two-car crash around 7:17 a.m. on August 4, near milepost 136, about four miles south of Kremmling. According to troopers, the crash was between a Ford F-150 pickup and a GMC Yukon SUV.

An early investigation revealed that the Ford F-150 was traveling northbound on Highway 9 when it drove into the southbound lane, striking the SUV, which was heading southbound. The impact of the head-on crash caused both vehicles to catch on fire, CSP said.

The driver of the F-150, identified as a 25-year-old man from Parker, was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, CSP said.

All occupants of the SUV were pronounced dead on scene. Due to the extensive damage and fire to this vehicle, first responders were initially unable to confirm the number of occupants; it has since been confirmed that there were five people in the vehicle.

The SUV's driver was identified as a 34-year-old man from Kremmling; the four additional passengers who died have not yet been identified by authorities.

Highway 9 was closed for several hours and reopened at about 2:45 p.m.

CSP said the investigation into the crash remains ongoing, and no charges have been brought against any drivers at this time.

Anyone who witnessed the crash and has not yet spoken to investigators is asked to contact CSP Dispatch at (970) 249-4392, and reference case number VC25269.

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