Tuesday’s deadly 36-vehicle crash on I-25 near Pueblo happened during “brown out” conditions as a local dust storm severely reduced visibility. The crash led to five deaths and dozens of hospitalizations. Four sheep in a trailer of more than 30 were also killed.
Colorado State Patrol is still investigating the full circumstances behind the incident, but Sgt. Ivan Alvarado said the thick haze caused by the storm was “definitely a factor.” Alvarado spent 19 years with the patrol driving I-70 on the Eastern Plains. He remembers dealing with a half-dozen serious dust storms in that role and described them as "unpredictable freaks of nature."
“Some of them you can’t see 10 feet in front of you,” Alvarado said. “Some of them you can’t see your hand in front of your face.”
In a typical year, the state experiences between 3 and 8 serious dust storms, according to the National Weather Service. They usually occur in the spring in places where it’s dry and windy, like the San Luis Valley and the Eastern Plains. On Tuesday, for example, dusty conditions obscured the roadways from Trinidad to Pueblo. But, light rain falling in El Paso County at the same time kept conditions clear there.
Dust storms can appear quickly and often last only a short period of time. So, the Colorado Department of Transportation urges motorists to avoid them and take a different route if possible, checking road conditions on the department’s COTrip website.
If the storm cannot be avoided, CDOT said drivers should keep their headlights on and slow down. If visibility continues to decrease, exit the highway completely. If not near an exit, pull completely off the paved portion of the interstate and turn off your lights..
Once parked, CDOT recommends using the emergency brake to avoid brake lights. This is so vehicles behind you don’t inadvertently use your lights as a guide and follow you off the road.
Then, wait for the storm to pass and visibility to clear before driving on.
