Bus Ends Up In River After Head-On Collision On Highway 6
EAGLE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- An ECO Transit bus ended up in the Eagle River on Friday afternoon after a head-on collision on Highway 6. Investigators determined the crash was weather-related.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Jacob Best told CBS4 the bus driver lost control while traveling eastbound in slushy and icy road conditions. The bus slid into the westbound lanes and was struck on its passenger-side midsection. The pickup spin around on the roadway while the bus went down the embankment and landed on its drivers side in the river.
The crash happened on Highway 6 in Eagle County. Two people in the pickup were rushed to the hospital with moderate injuries.
The bus driver was uninjured. There were no passengers on board.
Personnel from CSP's Hazardous Materials Team and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife managed the fuel and oil leaking from the bus into the river. No conclusions have been made at this time about impacts to it.
The section of Highway 6 between Squaw Creek Road and Wolcott Spur Road was closed as three large tow trucks worked to remove the bus from its resting place in the river.
The highway re-opened at 6:10 p.m., according to a spokesperson from the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The driver of the bus was cited for two counts of careless driving causing serious injury.