Accident one of two on Two Rivers Road in 24-hour period
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 was allegedly hit head-on by the Latino man in the 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 a potential factor in the accident.
A blockade of police and emergency vehicles kept traffic from passing last night, including a RFTA bus that parked waiting 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 closed for sevral hours.
Basalt police said all three victims suffered serious bodily injury. A dog, however, was even less fortunate. Grove and Reese owned a dog who police said was killed in the crash.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Another accident occurred Friday on Two Rivers Road, just a short distance from last night’s crash. Basalt Police Chief Keith Ikeda said a truck rear-ended a motorcyle who had stopped for traffic in front of Taqueria Nepal. The accident occurred in a 25-mph zone. The motorcyclist was transported to Aspen Valley Hospital, the police chief said.
