Fatal crash, car fire caused by speeding driver, rear-end collision, police say

The fiery multi-car crash that killed four people in Thornton on Saturday was caused by a rear-end collision at a red light, police said.

A Ford SUV carrying four people was traveling northbound on Washington Street when the driver stopped at a red light at Thornton Parkway, according to a Tuesday news release from the Thornton Police Department.

Police said the driver of the second car, a Subaru sedan, was speeding down northbound Washington Street when it crashed into the back of the stopped SUV around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The crash caused the gas tank to rupture, lighting the SUV on fire.

A third car, a Chrysler van, was also struck in the crash, police said. The driver was not injured.

Police said the car fire killed the two adults and two children inside the SUV. The four were declared dead at the scene of the crash but have not been publicly identified.

Their identities will be released at a later date by the Adams County Coroner’s Office.

Paramedics took the driver of the speeding Subaru to the hospital with “serious” injuries, according to the news release.

No update on the driver’s condition was available Tuesday.

— Lauren Penington, The Denver Post

Westbound I-70 reopens at Eisenhower Tunnel after multi-vehicle crash

Westbound Interstate 70 reopened at Eisenhower Tunnel after a crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

The westbound highway was closed between exit 216 for U.S. 6/Loveland Pass and exit 205 for Colorado 9/Silverthorne, CDOT officials said in an alert at 12:46 p.m.

The highway reopened as of 1:55 p.m.

— Katie Langford, The Denver Post