COLORADO SPRINGS — A crash on I-25 in Colorado Springs ended with the deaths of two people early Sunday morning. Just about 24 hours earlier, another crash on I-25, that time in Pueblo, left drivers shaken. Both crashes were brought on by the same, preventable cause.
“The crashes that happened this weekend are still under investigation,” Colorado Department of Transportation spokesperson Michelle Puelen said. “There were motorcycles involved as well as wrong-way crashes.”
That crash in Pueblo was a wrong-way crash. Luckily everyone survived. But Sunday morning’s crash in the Springs left a motorcycle driver and passenger dead. Colorado state patrol believes they were driving the wrong way.
“A lot of time those wrong-way crashes, we find out drivers were either distracted or impaired,” Puelen said.
CSP said alcohol is a suspected factor in Sunday morning’s crash.
“Depending on the area of the interstate you’re on and your judgment, it’s easier than one might think,” Puelen said.
But even with this grim weekend in mind, there is some better news.
“We have seen a significant decrease in wrong-way incidents on I-25,” Puelen said.
Last year, CDOT invested in new signage and ramp markings.
“We spent a significant amount of funding on this wrong-way preventative project,” she said.
But at the end of the day, it’s still up to drivers to employ proper judgment.
“Motorists, whether they're in a vehicle or on a motorcycle, they have some accountability and responsibility in that, too, to make sure they go home safely at the end of the day,” Puelen said.
She said if you ever encounter a wrong-way driver, your safest course of action is to of course get out of the way and call 911. Don’t try to stop them, you could end up causing more harm than good.
