Denver, CO – A driver travelling the wrong way who managed to evade a Colorado State Patrol trooper early Sunday morning has died following a collision on Interstate 25 close to downtown Denver, according to police reports.
Authorities reported a collision occurred on northbound I-25 at 20th Street in Denver shortly before 4 a.m. Northbound Interstate 25 faced closures for several hours on Sunday morning at 23rd Street, with traffic resuming around 9 a.m.
A press release from CSP revealed that a trooper on northbound I-25 near Mead came across a wrong-way driver in a grey Chrysler van, heading south in the northbound lanes at approximately 3 a.m. A close call for the trooper as the van swerved dangerously close, prompting an attempted traffic stop that the driver ignored.
“The Colorado State Patrol made efforts to coordinate with other agencies to intercept the vehicle; however, these attempts were unsuccessful,” the agency said. “Given the escalating risk to public safety, a supervisor directed the trooper to discontinue the pursuit.”
A spokesperson for the Denver Police Department reported that a call came in at approximately 3:30 a.m. regarding a driver heading south in the northbound lanes, who subsequently collided with another vehicle.
A spokesperson confirmed that the driver of the vehicle responsible for the wrong-way incident was declared dead at the scene. According to a police update on X, four individuals have been transported to a hospital, with three suffering from serious injuries.
The spokesperson refrained from disclosing specifics regarding the severity of the other injuries.
The Colorado State Patrol announced plans for an administrative review regarding the recent pursuit.
