Vehicle rollover accident with at least 3 dead, also involving CDOT employees at 34 1/2 Rd and Front St (Hwy 6). Police are diverting traffic in the area and Hwy 6 will be closed for an extended period of time.
Mt Garfield Middle School was not involved, but placed on a short shelter-in-place due to all the activity nearby, out of an abundance of caution.
Update 12:30pm: Mount Garfield Middle School can be accessed from the East only on Highway 6. People traveling from Clifton to Palisade will have to use F or G Roads to 35 Road. MGMS and PHS were not affected otherwise. School District 51 is currently working on re-routing buses for Mount Garfield Middle School and Palisade High School at this time.
Update 1:00pm: Initial reports from law enforcement state that a Jeep Grand Cherokee struck CDOT employees working outside of their vehicle, continuing on to strike the CDOT vehicle, causing a rollover accident. Both CDOT workers and one occupant of the Jeep died at the scene.
Update 4:00pm: Hwy 6 / Front St is now reopened in both directions between Clifton and Palisade.
Update 4:45pm: Some additional details have been released from Colorado State Patrol press conference. Both the CDOT vehicle and Jeep involved were in the westbound lane of Hwy 6 / Front St. The Jeep was driven by a male driver, with his wife as a passenger. Male driver was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released, the passenger died at the scene of the accident. No driver impairment is suspected.
State Patrol will escalate all findings in this incident to the district attorney’s office to see if felony charges will be filed on the driver.
*Photos surfacing from other media outlets and responders seem to indicate the Jeep did not rollover. Scanner audio and press conference details suggested there was a rollover.