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Truck rolls near Vail Pass, closing I-70 for several hours

ROBERT ALLEN
summit daily news
Vail, CO Colorado

VAIL PASS – A FedEx semi truck pulling two trailers hit a patch of ice on westbound Interstate 70 and rolled Wednesday night, causing lane closures from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Nobody was hurt in the crash at mile marker 183, near the Vail Pass summit in Eagle County.

Wednesday had been fairly warm, causing “significant runoff from snowmelt” across the highway. The sun fell and a roughly 50 yard ice patch was formed, said Sgt. Shawn Olmstead with Colorado State Patrol.



“The semi came down the hill, hit that patch and lost control,” he said, adding that it rolled a quarter time and landed on its left side – blocking all westbound lanes and shoulders.

The truck was carrying some hazardous materials, but Vail Fire Department evaluated the situation to determine none were released, Olmstead said.

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Traffic was detoured through Leadville as the scene was cleared, though there was a “small passageway through the mess” after a couple hours, he said.

Olmstead said the driver was wearing a seatbelt.

Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.


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