El Paso Deputies Seriously Injured Attempting To Pull Over Speeding Vehicle

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) -- Two El Paso County Sheriff's Office deputies suffered serious injuries Saturday morning after their patrol car was struck by another motorist.

The as-yet unidentified deputies were traveling westbound on State Highway 24 east of Ramah, according to Gary Cutler, a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol which is investigating the incident.

The deputies spied an eastbound vehicle they suspected of speeding and attempted to make a U-turn, Cutler said. Their cruiser was hit on its drivers side by a Chevy Traverse that was trailing them.

The people in the Traverse were taken to a hospital in another private vehicle, Cutler said. Their conditions are not known.

The deputies were transported via ambulance to Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs.

Cutler said the deputies did turn on their car's emergency lights prior to turning around. But that may not have been enough to avoid responsibility for the collision.

"We have to have due regard for public safety, so he's being considered the at-fault driver at this point," Cutler said.

CSP's investigators are still interviewing the participants, he added.

Dispatchers received a call for help from the scene at 8:56 a.m.