After a month-long investigation into a deadly Interstate 70 crash involving a semi-truck and three other vehicles, Wheat Ridge police announced Wednesday that they found no evidence the truck’s driver was impaired or speeding.
Traffic on I-70 came to a standstill in mid-August after the semi-truck rolled over while traveling near Wheat Ridge, scattering its cargo across both sides of the highway. The large plastic pipes on the truck collided with a vehicle carrying a family of five on their way to celebrate a wedding.
Three of the passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims included a newlywed couple headed to their honeymoon and the bride’s mother. The couple’s 1-year-old toddler and the bride’s father suffered minor injuries in the crash but survived.
Two other cars were involved in the crash, but police reported no injuries from their passengers. The truck driver also sustained minor injuries.
Wheat Ridge police said it reviewed an inspection of the truck conducted a month before the crash and found no issues. Officials also accessed inspection data recorded about 40 minutes before the crash, when the semi-truck went through a Colorado State Patrol Port of Entry station along I-70.
“That inspection found the truck was about 8,000 lbs. underweight, it was over-strapped for the pipes it was carrying and had no brake issues based on infrared scanning,” the department said.
Data from the truck also indicated that the driver was traveling within the speed limit at the time of the crash. The driver showed no signs of impairment or intoxication, police said.
Following the crash, the Colorado Department of Transportation said it would review whether it should reduce the speed limit on that stretch of I-70, which is currently undergoing construction to replace a bridge.
