One dead in 60- to 75-car Vail Pass pileup

VAIL PASS, Colorado — One person was killed Monday afternoon in a 60 to 75-car pileup on the west side of Vail Pass, the Colorado State Patrol said.

Other drivers were seriously injured and Interstate 70 was closed in both directions, leading authorities to open an emergency shelter in Vail. The east lanes of of the interstate opened around 8:30 p.m. after they were closed for several hours.

A semi truck trailer jackknifed on the interstate around 1:30 p.m. and one or two cars ran into it, said Trooper Ryan Sullivan of the Colorado State Patrol. That started a chain reaction in which up to 75 cars were involved, Sullivan said.

Sullivan did not know many people were injured. Those stranded but not injured in the wrecks were bused to nearby towns and interviewed.

At least 16 people with broken bones, bruises, and scrapes were taken to Vail Valley Medical Center, about 15 miles west of the scene, said hospital spokesman Don Bishop. Except for one patient who was to undergo surgery, all were in fair condition.

Six patients were transported to St. Anthony’s Summit Medical Center near Breckenridge, about 20 miles away. Two women there were in critical condition, anther woman and a boy were in serious condition. The other two patients were treated and discharged.

Laura Reichardt, a Vail Mountain School student and intern at the Summit Daily, was traveling westbound on I-70 when she was stopped in the pileup traffic.

“There was a semi-truck jack knifed across the road with a crumpled Jeep and crushed van just to the side,” said Reichardt. “Cars were plowed into the snow on either side of the road and there was a mobile home completely on its side.”

According to Reichardt, people at the scene of the accident were exiting their cars and aiding ambulance crews that arrived to transport the injured.

“My car was one of the few that didn’t crash into the snowbank so the four kids that were in the crumpled Jeep piled into my car to get warm,” said Reichardt, who added that the driver of the Jeep and his wife were in critical condition after the accident.

An emergency shelter has been opened at the Vail Interfaith Chapel, 19 Vail Rd., south of the main Vail roundabout. The free shelter will be available to anyone who needs food and a warm place to stay until the pass is reopened. For more information call (970) 479-2226.

The Inn at Beaver Creek and The Pines Lodge also are offering a stranded traveler rate of $79 for tonight only. Call (970) 754-5998 or (800) 859-8242 and press 2 to make a reservation. Ask about the stranded traveler rate.

Parking is now free in both Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures for stranded travelers. Authorities are asking people to avoid parking on the North and South Frontage Roads during the closure.

Before the east lanes were opened, eastbound traffic was being stopped at the Eagle and Dotsero exits and only local drivers were being allowed to continue upvalley on Interstate 70 or those traveling up U.S. Highway 131, Sgt. Greg Daly of the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office said.

Other drivers were asked to return to Glenwood Springs or to find some place to park in Eagle or Gypsum so that the interstate does not become too crowded, he said.

Vail Mountain reported more than a foot of new snow Monday and snow continued to fall Monday afternoon in the town of Vail.

Larry Montan, of Minneapolis, was vacationing in Vail to cross country ski.

“There’s no way I’d drive in this,” he said.

The Associated Press and Summit Daily News contributed to this report. Staff Writer Steve Lynn can be reached at 748-2931 or slynn@vaildaily.com.

This story will be updated as more details become available