Published on Aspen Daily News Online (http://www.aspendailynews.com)
Basalt crash injures three, kills dog

Writer:
Troy Hooper
Byline:
Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

A two-vehicle collision late Thursday night seriously injured three people and temporarily shut down the western leg of Two Rivers Road in Basalt.

When police arrived, they found a Latino man lying on the ground and a white man and woman trapped inside a mangled black Jeep Cherokee, which the Latino man allegedly hit head-on in a Chevy Blazer.

The couple in the Jeep Cherokee have been identified as Susan L. Grove, the vehicle’s registered owner, and her husband, John Reese. Police were still working on confirming the Latino man’s identity Friday afternoon.

Alcohol or drugs have not been ruled out as potential factors in the accident.

A blockade of police and emergency vehicles kept traffic from passing the wreck Thursday night, including a RFTA bus that parked and waited within eyesight of the wreckage. One passerby stood on the street, smoked a cigarette and remarked that he hoped everyone survived the brutal collision.

The accident site was a grave scene of broken glass and twisted metal. Firefighters and paramedics were busily trying to save lives, as one ambulance after another screamed away en route to Aspen Valley Hospital, where Reese was taken, and Valley View Hospital, where the Latino man and Grove were taken. The road was closed for several hours and finally re-opened Friday morning.

Basalt police said all three victims suffered serious bodily injury. However, a dog that belonged to Grove and Reese was killed in the crash.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Another accident occurred Friday on Two Rivers Road only a short distance from Thursday night’s crash. Basalt Police Chief Keith Ikeda said a truck rear-ended a motorcycle stopped for traffic in front of Taqueria Nepal, which is in a 25-mph zone. The motorcyclist was transported to Aspen Valley Hospital, the police chief said.


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1 day

Source URL: http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/basalt-crash-injures