Fourth Colorado State Patrol cruiser struck in 3 days amid icy roads

In a matter of just three days, four Colorado State Patrol cruisers have been struck by other motorists. While icy roads appear to have contributed to at least one of those crashes, driving under the influence did, too, according to CSP.

The only injuries reported in any of the four crashes were the alleged DUI driver. Still, CSP is warning drivers to stay alert, watch their speeds when roads are icy and visibility is low, and put cell phones and other distractions away.

"You are responsible for adjusting your speed and space between vehicles based on real-time conditions," Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said in a statement. "Emergency responders, tow truck drivers are out there in miserable conditions, to keep our roadway users safe and get traffic flowing. When you drive, you have their lives in your hands. Drive accordingly -- slow down and move over."

All four crashes were secondary in nature, according to CSP, meaning the state troopers were pulling over or assisting other motorists and stopped in or on the side of the highway when a car crashed into them.

The string of crashes started Friday morning when a trooper closed one eastbound lane of Interstate 70 between Rifle and Glenwood Springs because of a crash. That trooper's cruiser was struck from behind around 9:30 a.m.

Later that night, a trooper tried to pull over a driver who didn't have their headlights on near Colorado Springs on Interstate 25. As the car was pulling over, it crashed into a guardrail, spun back into the highway, and hit the CSP cruiser around 7:15 p.m.. That driver was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries and later arrested and charged with DUI and careless driving, according to CSP.

Two more crashes occurred Sunday morning.

The first occurred around 1:30 a.m. when a trooper was laying out cones while trying to help another motorist on southbound I-25 near Fountain. Despite the lights being activated on the cruiser, a semi-truck hit the side of the CSP vehicle. No one was injured in that crash.

Then around 7 a.m., a trooper was trying to close northbound I-25 at East Palmer Divide Avenue near Monument because of multiple crashes that had already occurred in the area due to low visibility and icy roads, when one vehicle crashed into another, sending it crashing into the CSP cruiser. No injuries were reported in that crash either.