6 Vehicles Involved In Hit & Run Crash, 1 Driver Dies After Jeep Catches Fire
DENVER (CBS4) - One person was killed and several others injured after a hit-and-run crash that involved six vehicles in Denver early Monday morning.
Police closed off the crash scene at West 44th Avenue. It happened just outside Ernie's Bar near the intersection with Federal Boulevard.
A Jeep was heavily damaged after it burst into flames on the road at the crash scene. The driver of the Jeep, who hasn't been identified, later died at a hospital. A passenger in the Jeep was also injured and hospitalized. That person's name and condition haven't been released.
Police shut down 44th Avenue in both directions while they investigated the crash.
A spokesperson with Mountain View police, which oversees the Denver suburban area close to where the accident happened, told CBS4 a suspect in the incident was seen by an officer speeding before the crash at more than 100 miles per hour in a white Dodge Durango. The officer initially tried to stop the suspect but realized he couldn't safely make the stop and lost sight of the SUV. A short time later the officer saw smoke billowing into the air.
According to police, the Durango may have ran a red light creating the collision that sent the Jeep into flames.
One police officer told CBS4's Rahel Solomon that in his 30 years of experience he had never seen a wreck as bad. Neighbors say it was very chaotic with vehicles spun in all directions and victims screaming for help.
"We (saw) a Jeep just burning up, on fire, and you could hear a man screaming, he needed help … somebody else was in the Jeep … it was a lot of smoke, couldn't see anything, nobody really wanted to get around it right away," witness Ed Cordova said. "A guy with a fire extinguisher (was) trying to get the fire out."
Another person also suffered unknown injuries.
After the collision the suspect attempted to flee the scene on foot but officers were quickly able to arrest the man. He was taken to a hospital. His name and condition haven't been released.
