One person was killed and 9 others were injured when a truck collided with an SUV in Platteville
PLATTEVILLE, Colo. — A toddler was killed and nine other people were injured in a crash early Sunday in Platteville after an SUV carrying 10 people flipped in front of a semi-truck and struck it, according to authorities.
The crash occurred at 1:17 a.m. Sunday on southbound U.S. 85 at Justin Street, according to a news release from the Platteville-Gilchrist Fire Protection District. Callers to 9-1-1 reported several people being ejected from the SUV, the fire district said.
Platteville police and fire crews triaged patients and extricated a trapped person from the SUV. One person, a young child, died in the accident. Nine others were injured, at least five of them seriously, the fire department said.
The statement stated that seven patients were transported to hospitals by ambulances, and two – an adult and an infant – were transported by private car before fire brigades arrived at the scene.
“Unfortunately, there were 10 people in a vehicle that didn’t have enough cargo for that number of people,” said Matt Concialdi, EMS chief and public information officer for Platteville Gilcrest Fire. “One person was wearing a seat belt. So far, it doesn’t appear anyone else was wearing a seat belt.”
Initial reports indicated that the SUV swerved in front of the semi-truck. No car seats were found in the SUV, and Platteville Police confirmed that an infant and a toddler were sitting on the adults’ laps. Police did not rule out impaired driving as a possible factor, according to the release.
“The two children, an infant and a toddler, were on the lap of an adult. They were taken out with the other passengers,” Concialdi said. “The force of the collision is greater and stronger than any person would be able to hold an infant or child.”
Of the 236 people who have died in car accidents so far this year, 126 of them were not wearing seat belts.
This week, CDOT is launching a new safety campaign urging people to wear their seat belts. You’ve probably seen videos showing what it’s like to get into a car accident without a seat belt.
“Three out of every five deaths that occur during a rollover are from people not wearing a seat belt,” the CDOT video says.
The truck driver remained at the scene, was medically evaluated and released. The fire department said the driver was cooperating with the investigation.
Other responding agencies are Colorado State Patrol, Fort Lupton Police Department, Fort Lupton Fire Protection District, Frederick Firestone Fire Protection District, Mountain View Fire Rescue, Weld County Sheriff’s Office, Firestone Police Department, Mead Police Department, Milliken Police Department, Lochbuie Police Department. and the Weld County Coroner’s Office.
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