Fifth victim dies following massive interstate crash during ‘brown out’ conditions

PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A fifth person died after a crash involving more than 30 vehicles on a Colorado interstate amid dangerous wind conditions Tuesday morning.

Colorado State Patrol announced Wednesday morning that a victim died at the hospital.

As of Wednesday morning, the interstate was fully reopened south of Pueblo, and law enforcement continued to investigate the events leading to the deadly pileup.

Based on survivor accounts and its own investigation, Colorado State Patrol said intense winds and dry terrain resulted in a “brown out” over the interstate with tragic results.

“This was one of those storms that came through, and the wind picked up very quickly, and that location down there, unfortunately due to the lack of moisture and stuff that we’ve had in the area recently, the dirt and everything just transversed all the way across I-25, and created just what I’ll call as a dirt or a brown out that visibility was next to nothing,” said Maj. Brian Lyons of the State Patrol.

Thirty-six vehicles crashed on both sides of the interstate. The bigger pileup, involving the majority of the vehicles, happened on the northbound side, and the smaller crash occurred in the southbound lanes. State Patrol said the two crashes combined involved passenger vehicles, seven semis, and at least one pickup truck hauling a trailer with animals inside.

“Results of the preliminary investigation show that the four fatalities and 29 injured parties all came from the northbound I-25, multi-vehicle crash. The southbound I-25 crash was property damage only,” State Patrol said Tuesday night, hours before the death toll increased to five.

The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office identified those killed in the crash as David Kirscht and his son Scott L. Kirscht from Walsenburg, Mary Sue Thayer from Rye, and Karen Ann Marsh from Pueblo. On Wednesday afternoon, the Coroner’s Office identified the fifth victim as Thomas Thayer from Rye.

Troopers said seven people arrived at the hospital with serious bodily injuries and one was in critical condition. The remaining 21 people had moderate to minor injuries.

The community response has been enormous, with numerous agencies, hospitals and schools banding together to help the victims at the scene. Pueblo County School District 70 provided school buses to transport the injured, and hospitals went into all-hands-on-deck mode, something they said they train for.

“Everyone gets involved. Everyone’s lined up and make sure we have everything from supplies to communications to the expertise necessary to handle a large volume of patients, which we were ready,” Mike Cafasso, president of CommonSpirit St. Mary Corwin Hospital, said.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) also responded to assist with the animals involved in the crash.

According to HSPPR, one trailer involved in the crash was carrying 30 sheep and one goat.

“In the midst of twisted metal and emergency response efforts, these animals were caught in the chaos, some trapped inside the damaged trailer, others running loose along the interstate in immediate danger,” HSPPR said in a social media post.

HSPPR said its officers worked alongside first responders to contain the animals and keep them out of harm.

“Despite every effort, four of the sheep were too severely injured to recover. The remaining animals were safely secured and later reunited with their owner,” the agency said.

A “high wind caution” alert was later issued for I-25, according to a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). State Patrol said that the alert was not yet in place when the crashes occurred.

“So, right before we had the advisories that the wind was going to pick up this morning, there were no closures, and this was one of those storms that came through,” Lyons said. “… So, by the time we got those notifications, the crash had already occurred.”