An 86-year-old man and his 96-year-old passenger, as well as a third person are dead after the man drove the wrong way down I-70 outside Aurora, Colorado, on Christmas night and collided with a pickup truck.
Trooper Josh Lewis of the Colorado State Patrol reported that 86-year-old Gerald Arnett, 86, headed west on the eastbound side of I-70 with his passenger, Betty Arnett, 96, both from Wheat Ridge.
The Arnett’s 2003 Dodge Caravan minivan struck head-on into the 2001 Dodge pickup truck driven by 24-year-old Kyle Parker,24, of Strasburg.
The collision occurred around 7:30 p.m.
ID of parties in I70/Tower crash:
Driver of Dodge van: Gerald Arnett, 86, Wheat Ridge.
Pass of van: Betty Arnett, 96, Wheat Ridge.
Driver of pickup: Kyle Parker, 24, Strasburg
Pass of pickup: Katie Paul, 24, Strasburg.
Unknown relationships; Parker serious injury.— CSP Public Affairs (@CSP_News) December 26, 2017
Both Arnetts were killed in the collision, as was Parker’s passenger, Katie Paul, 24, also from Strasburg.
Parker was transported to University Hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.
Colorado State Patrol had to close the eastbound lanes of I-70 for several hours to investigate the crash and clean up the debris.