Santa Clarita youth hockey players hospitalized after deadly Colorado crash

Several youth hockey players and their families were hospitalized, and one of their fathers died after a multi-vehicle crash in Colorado.

The deadly collision happened just after 7:50 a.m. Pacific time on I-70 in Colorado's Clear Creek County, less than 50 miles away from Denver, according to the Colorado State Patrol. 

The collision involved a Colorado Department of Transportation plow, two passenger vehicles and the sprinter van carrying the members of the Santa Clarita Flyers 12-and-under team and their families.

Investigators said there were 10 people in the Sprinter van. Paramedics drove seven of the passengers to the hospital, four of whom were juveniles and three were adults. Another juvenile, who sustained critical injuries, was airlifted to a local trauma center. 

One passenger, a man, refused transport to the hospital. Authorities declared the driver of the van, the father of a player, dead at the scene. 

The team said three of their players and their families were traveling to a Western Girls Hockey League game. 

According to the WGHL's website, the Santa Clarita Flyers 12U team was scheduled to play at 8:45 a.m. at an ice skating rink in Littleton, CO, southwest of Denver. 

"We ask that you keep our hockey families in your prayers and that you give them time to sort through the details of this tragic event," the team wrote in an Instagram post. 

The Colorado State Patrol is investigating the cause of the collision.