DENVER — After three serious crashes this week, Colorado law enforcement is urging drivers to be careful on roadways this Fourth of July weekend.
The latest happened Friday morning on the westbound lanes of Interstate 76 at Sable Boulevard in Commerce City. Five people were hospitalized, one with serious injuries, following the single-vehicle rollover crash, according to the Commerce City Police Department.
"It's definitely been three days that, you know, nobody wants to have," said Colorado State Patrol Sergeant of Public Affairs Ivan Alvarado.
One person and a dog were killed in a fiery crash that closed westbound Interstate 70 for hours near Loveland Pass Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday, three people were killed, including two children, in a crash that shut down eastbound I-70 for several hours in Elbert County
"Not only are we feeling for the families that suffered this, but also everybody that got stuck behind it," said Alvarado. "This weekend, that's going to be a long weekend, we're looking at way more traffic. We're looking at way more possibilities of anything and everything happening. So let's just drive carefully."
It's the exact message CSP, Adams County Fire Rescue and the Adams County Sheriff's Office are stressing in a new campaign.
"We can control that environment when it's a structure fire, a motor vehicle crash. We could control the crash scene itself, but the people that are driving by, the bystanders, we just have no control over that," said Adams County Fire Rescue Lieutenant Bob Gooden. "We try to, by kind of chevroning out and moving traffic away from us to the next lane over. Even then, people sometimes just go right by you at high rates of speed, and you just kind of have to keep your head on a swivel."
- Watch the campaign video below
Lieutenant Gooden told Denver7 his station responds to multiple crash calls on highways, which can be anxiety-inducing for first responders.
"Usually it's a one, two-car motor vehicle crash, mostly minor, not too well involved," Gooden said. "Sometimes they could be big ones, but mostly minor motor vehicle crashes... It's an uncontrolled environment for us."
In the campaign video, first responders showed their patrol vehicles after being struck while responding to crashes. In the video, they urge drivers to remain vigilant and focused on the roadways to keep everyone safe.
For Sergeant Alvarado, maintaining that same focus and dedication to driving safely is especially important this weekend.
"What I would say is plan ahead. If you have a five-hour trip, make sure that you're not trying to do a five-hour trip in three hours. You know, then now you're rushing," Alvarado said. "Make sure that you have enough water, food, and the car is full of gas, just in case you get stuck in those closures. At the end of the day, when you're driving, put everything down and just focus on the driving."
