17-year-old boy killed in crash on Colorado's Eastern Plains, 2 other teens seriously hurt
A 17-year-old boy was killed in a crash late Wednesday morning when another driver rear-ended the vehicle he was in on Highway 385 in Kit Carson County, Colorado State Patrol confirmed in a press release. The crash happened roughly 1.5 miles north of Burlington.
According to CSP, the crash happened close to 11:45 a.m. when the 17-year-old was sitting in the backseat of a Ford Focus stopped northbound and waiting to make a left turn onto Kit Carson County Road. There were four other teenage boys in the car when a 21-year-old woman driving a Jeep rear-ended the Ford, sending both vehicles into a field near the intersection.
The 17-year-old died at the scene of crash, and two other teen passengers had to be airlifted to Denver-area hospitals -- one with critical, the other serious injuries. The teen driver of the Ford and another teen passenger were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
The woman driving the Jeep was also injured, and her injuries were considered minor to moderate. She was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
CSP is leading the investigation of the crash. The highway was closed for several hours before it reopened just before 4:45 p.m.
There was no information about possible charges in the crash available at the time of the press release that was shared by CSP just after 7 p.m.
Editor's note: In the original release by CSP, the law enforcement agency reported the teen who was killed in the crash was 14 years old. That was then corrected to be a victim who was 17 years of age in an update. Additionally, the update confirmed there were five total teenagers in the vehicle that was hit. Previously, it was reported there were four total occupants.
