Hwy. 82 crash injures 5

CARBONDALE – A two-vehicle crash on Highway 82 upvalley from Carbondale on Monday sent five people to the hospital, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The collision occurred at about 8:30 a.m., when an eastbound Chevy Tahoe driven by Michelle Smith of Glenwood Springs went out of control and slid through the median into the westbound lanes of the highway, the patrol said. Her vehicle collided with a Cadillac Escalade driven by Christopher Welde of Basalt. The crash forced the temporary closure of the westbound lanes.

Welde, 42, and a passenger were taken to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, where they were treated and released. Welde suffered a serious leg injury, according to a state patrol press release.

Smith, 48, and two passengers in her vehicle were also taken to Valley View and admitted to the hospital.

The accident remains under investigation; charges are pending, the state patrol said.

See Tuesday’s Aspen Times for more on the accident.