Updated at 11:23 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2024.
A single vehicle crash on Highway 6 in Mesa County killed three people Wednesday morning, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
At a press conference near the site of the accident Wednesday afternoon, State Patrol Chief Col. Matthew Packard said initial investigations did not suggest the driver was intoxicated.
“I will tell you that [from] the initial investigation, we do not suspect impairment at this time. There's still a lot to go through and we will work closely with the Mesa County District Attorney's office on the valuation of potential criminal charges,” Packard said.
Packard was joined by CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew, who mentioned a memorial stone for employees that have died on the job.
“Today we're here knowing that we'll have to add to the ranks of the people who we will have to remember for losing their lives,” Lew said.
The crash killed two roadway workers with the Colorado Department of Transportation as they were walking along the side of the road. The Mesa County Coroner's Office identified them Thursday as 23-year-old Nathan Jones and 43-year-old Trenton Umberger.
“Initial investigations show the crash involved a Jeep Grand Cherokee that struck two CDOT employees working outside of their vehicle and then a parked CDOT vehicle, causing the Jeep to roll,” according to a CSP statement.
Kathi Wallace, a 67-year-old passenger in the vehicle that hit the CDOT workers, also died at the scene. The vehicle's driver was hospitalized, but authorities have not publicly identified them.
Both sides of the highway were shut down from 35 Road to 34 Road. All lanes reopened around 3:45 p.m.
CDOT said on April 15, its annual Remembrance Day, that 62 of its employees have died on the job since 1929. The pair killed Wednesday raises that figure to 64.
"While highway workers are at great risk every day, it is just as critical for motorists to be safe and responsible in work zones," said a CDOT statement marking the April memorial event. "In fact, four out of five work zone fatalities are people driving through work zones, not highway workers."
There were 15 crashes in Colorado work zones in 2023, according to the agency. Those incidents killed 16 people.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
