Northern Colorado community mourns 5 ejected, 3 killed in crash

The town of Eaton is grieving after a deadly rollover crash Saturday evening claimed the lives of three recent high school graduates. It has left the close-knit Northern Colorado community searching for answers and supporting the families affected.

With a population of about 6,000, residents say Eaton is the kind of place where neighbors know one another, making the tragedy especially difficult.

"It's very tight knit," said Bryan Blevins, an Eaton resident.

Colorado State Patrol says five men between the ages of 19 and 20 were riding in an SUV that was traveling at a high rate of speed when it swerved in and out of a ditch in a remote area. All five occupants were ejected from the vehicle.

The crash happened near Blevins' home.

"It sounds like the truck just lost control, unfortunately," Blevins said.

Investigators identified the three passengers who died as Cash Rinker, Jack Dirksen and Cooper Nider.

Blevins said the loss has rippled throughout the town.

"It impacted the community very hard," Blevins said. "Just from the outpouring and social media, they were very, very well known and liked in the community."

Many of those grieving knew the victims personally.

"It's such a close community," said Blake Hawkins, an Eaton High School graduate.

Hawkins said he had been with one of the young men just hours before the crash.

"We were at the gym with one of them three hours before lifting, getting better, talking like we would any other day," Hawkins said.

The sudden loss has left friends struggling to process what happened.

"It's like getting hit by a train. It ain't no fun. Like, I don't know. It's a lot to process," Hawkins said.

Crew Haythorn, a current Eaton High School student, said the three young men made an impact on people throughout the community.

"Those guys were family. They were older brothers for me," Haythorn said.

Haythorn said their influence reached far beyond their own graduating class.

"They were well loved around here. They transcended through a lot of people, through a lot of grades. A lot of people really liked them," Haythorn said.

As Eaton mourns, residents say they are focused on standing beside the victims' families and one another.

"It's been a shock. It's such a tight-knit community here. We all want to support each other and do the best. And, when you lose three individuals like we lost, it's a terrible thing just to have to live through something like this," Hawkins said.

One passenger survived with minor injuries. The driver also survived and was flown to a hospital in critical condition.

Colorado State Patrol is leading the investigation. Troopers say excessive speed is believed to have been a factor in the crash, but investigators have not determined it to be the sole cause of the rollover.