Denver — Crashes involving about 70 vehicles blocked a section of a snow-covered highway in Colorado on Tuesday and sent eight people to the hospital.
The collision prompted officials to close the east side of Interstate 70 in Clear Creek County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Denver, the Colorado State Patrol said in a statement.
Officials evaluated the injuries of 19 people and transported eight of them to the hospital, including one person who “sustained serious physical injuries,” according to the State Patrol.
Photos posted online show several pickup trucks involved in the collision, with debris on both sides of the road, the vehicles’ fronts smashed, and at least one vehicle partially off the ground.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accumulation.