Police vehicle rear-ended on Colorado highway, trooper and 2 others injured

A suspected drunk driver rear-ended a Colorado State Patrol cruiser as the trooper was pulling over an unlicensed driver early Saturday morning on Interstate 70. 

The trooper and two people in the car being pulled over were taken to hospitals for evaluation, according to the state patrol. Those two people had minor injuries. Details about the extent of the trooper's injuries were not released, but that trooper was released this morning and is recovering now at home. 

Trooper Benjamin Orozco-Diaz found a blue Saturn Outlook travelling westbound on I-70 near Watkins at 12:48 a.m., CSP recounted in a press release. The car was travelling in the left lane and not passing other vehicles. The trooper activated his emergency lights. The Saturn driver then reportedly came to a stop in the left lane of traffic, per CSP. The trooper pulled in behind the Saturn, instructing its driver to move to the shoulder of the road. 

As the two vehicles came to a stop on the shoulder, a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee slammed into the rear of the trooper's cruiser, per CSP. The trooper's cruiser was pushed forward into the Saturn.

The driver of the Jeep, a 47-year-old woman from Byers, was not injured. She was taken into custody at the crash scene. Later, she was released with a summons to court for suspected driving under the influence charges, among other charges. She was not arrested, CSP confirmed. 

Meanwhile, investigators learned the driver of the Saturn, a 44-year-old woman from Aurora, did not have a valid drivers license. The woman claimed to possess a learners permit, according to CSP, but did not have a physical permit or copy of it at the time. For that, and for not having another adult in the vehicle while driving (her passenger was a teenager), she was cited for violating restrictions on an instruction permit. She was also cited for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and having no proof of insurance, according to CSP. 

Westbound I-70 was closed at mile marker 295 for five hours for the crash investigation.