Drivers In Wrong-Way Wreck On U.S. 36 Were Lucky, State Patrol Says

DENVER (CBS4) - A man was hospitalized Thursday after a wrong-way driver suspected of driving under the influenced slammed into his vehicle on U.S. 36 west of Broadway.

The front end of the victim's SUV, a yellow Ford, was severely crumpled. But the driver escaped with minor injuries. The driver going the wrong way also suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized.

"I think luck played a large part in the outcome of the injures to both people," Rob Madden with the CSP said.

The wrong-way driver, 35-year-old Sean Bailey of Arizona, was cited for a DUI while he was in the hospital.

State troopers said the accident, which happened shortly after 4 a.m., could have been much worse.

The accident occurred near a construction zone at Broadway that closed off the westbound lane to the highway.

"Had this impact not occurred between the two vehicles, it is a possibility that the wrong way driver could have continued on into the active contraction zone, where there were not just vehicles but there were actually multiple construction workers on foot," Madden said.

The highway was shut down for several hours until the scene could be cleared.

The state patrol said wrong-way drivers along the highway are common.

Since September, it's received approximately 9,800 reports involving road rage, drunk drivers and wrong-way drivers in just the metro areas that they cover.

Troopers say it will be a few weeks before they get back the results of Bailey's blood test to confirm if he was under the influence.