State trooper, driver injured after crash during chase for wrong-way DUI driver on I-25
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A wrong-way DUI driver set off a chain of dangerous events on I-25 early Wednesday morning, leading to a crash that left a state trooper and another driver hospitalized and forced an extended lane closure on the interstate just north of Pueblo.
According to Colorado State Patrol (CSP), at around 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 28, troopers responded to a wrong-way driver on I-15, who was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes near mile marker 113, approximately 11 miles north of Pueblo.
CSP says the driver of the wrong-way vehicle, a 2021 Honda sedan, turned around and started heading in the right direction before troopers caught up with them near mile marker 117. A trooper attempted to pull the car over, but the driver didn't stop.
A few miles later, troopers were eventually able to pull the driver over near the Pikes Peak Racetrack. But as another trooper started to position their patrol car in front of the Honda to block the driver in, they were hit by a 2001 Hummer driving in the left lane of I-25.
Both the trooper and the driver of the Hummer were injured in the crash and taken to the hospital with unknown injuries, CSP said.
The agency said the wrong-way driver fled the traffic stop and continued driving northbound on I-25 until they were stopped by the Fountain Police Department after a short pursuit near mile marker 132.
That driver was identified as Jennifer Elaine Bliss, a woman from from Denver, CSP confirmed. She was not injured in the pursuit and is now facing charges for DUI, failing to yield, and driving the wrong way.
The crash between the Hummer and the State Patrol vehicle is now being investigated by the Colorado Springs Police Department.
A left lane of northbound I-25 is shut down for police activity following the crash, currently impacting a stretch of the road between Pikes Peak International Raceway and Clear Spring Ranch. As of 8 a.m., there is no estimate on when this closure will end.
This is a developing story and may be updated as we learn more.
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