Three people were killed after the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee hit two Colorado Department of Transportation employees working on the side of the road on U.S. 6 near Palisade.
Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to a fatal crash on westbound U.S. 6 between Palisade and Clifton in Mesa County around 10:42 a.m. Wednesday, agency officials said in a news release.
Investigators determined the driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee struck two CDOT workers who were working outside of their vehicle and then hit a parked CDOT vehicle, causing the Jeep to roll.
The workers stopped on the side of the road to fix a sign, Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
Both CDOT workers and one person in the Jeep died at the scene, according to the CSP. A second person in the Jeep was taken to the hospital.
State patrol officials declined to release further details about the crash late Wednesday, citing the ongoing investigation. The names of three people who died will be released by the Mesa County Coroner’s Office.
“These Coloradans will be missed by their state, families, and communities,” Polis said in a statement.
Colorado law requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit whenever there’s a disabled vehicle on the side of the road with hazard lights on, including CDOT road crews, AAA officials said in a news release Wednesday.
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