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Deadly Crash Closes Busy Fort Collins Intersection For Several Hours

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - One person was killed in a crash that kept a busy intersection near the Colorado State University campus closed for hours.

The crash happened about 10:48 p.m. Thursday at Prospect Road east of Shields Street.

Officers rushed to the scene where they found a Dodge Neon stopped in the 800 block of west Prospect Road. A Ford Crown Victoria was discovered several houses away in a front yard. Both vehicles were severely damaged.

Witnesses told police that the Neon was stopped at Prospect Road waiting to make a left turn onto Prospect Lane. The Crown Victoria was traveling west on Prospect Road at a high rate of speed and smashed into the Neon.

After colliding with the Neon the Crown Victoria continued off the right side of the road through two yards and collided with a tree.

"I came up to the front part of my house and I saw this car here, some people around, some emergency people. There were all kinds of fire trucks, ambulances and police cars," said Bill Allison, the man who lived in the house where the Crown Victoria crashed.

The driver of the Neon, Emma Kimball, 22, from Fruita and a student at CSU, was rushed to Medical Center of the Rockies with moderate injuries. Her passenger, Sanaz Ghajarrahimi, 27, of Foster City, Calif., was airlifted to Medical Center of the Rockies with serious injuries.

FORT COLLINS DEADLY CRASH map
(credit: CBS)

The driver of the Crown Victoria, Michael Dziendziel, 42, of Fort Collins, died at the scene.

Prospect Road was closed between Sheeley Drive and Centre Ave. for about 9 hours during the crash investigation and cleanup.

Police believe speed contributed to the collision and are working to determine whether Dziendziel was driving under the influence of alcohol.

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