Witnesses Say Fatal Crash Was The Worst They've Ever Seen
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Police are investigating a deadly crash in Aurora.
Police said the 25-year-old driver of a black Audi sped down the Interstate 225 off-ramp at 6th Avenue and crashed into two vehicles, killing one driver.
The accident happened on Friday shortly before 7 p.m.
An Aurora traffic investigation spokesperson said that he couldn't release the exact condition the driver was suffering from until investigators could verify it.
The wreck was so bad that people in the area were still shaken up by what they had seen.
"It was scary," said Joy Rothmeyer. "And I've never seen anything like that."
People staying at the nearby Travelodge were haunted by the images of the deadly wreck. Erica Jordan heard the crash and feared that her brother, who was on his way to see her, could have been caught up in the mess.
"It's really scary when you can't see anything," said Jordan. "And there was all kinds of commotion. So I was trying to get ahold of him. But out there, it was crazy," Jordan said.
Police said that the driver of the Audi first hit a Honda CRV that was stopped at a red light, and then plowed into a Honda Accord, pinning it against a light pole.
"By looking at them, you would not see two cars," said Jordan. "You would actually see one car. It was just -- that's how badly entwined they were."
"The poor guy that was pinned between the car and the pole, from where I was standing, it really looked like the back of the other car," said Rothmeyer.
She heard the squeel of tires screeching down the exit ramp.
"And then the loudest bang I have ever heard," said Rothmeyer. "It really rocked the room."
She looked out and saw the vehicles, mangled.
"I started crying right away," Rothmeyer said. "I knew that somebody -- there's no way that somebody could make it through there."
She was right.
The 41-year-old man inside the Accord was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
"I sat here and I prayed. That's all I could do was pray," said Rothmeyer.
It will be days if not weeks before police are able to determine if they will press charges against the driver who caused the wreck. They'll be looking into whether he may have been taking any prescribed medication for his condition.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
