One person remains hospitalized after Friday cement truck, pickup crash

A 31-year-old New Castle woman remains hospitalized after being critically injured in a crash on Interstate 70 west of Glenwood Springs on Friday morning.

According to the Colorado State Patrol, Michel Garcia-Roman was driving a GMC pickup east between New Castle and Canyon Creek at about 9 a.m. Friday when a fully loaded westbound cement mixer truck went out of control, crossed the median, overturned and collided with the pickup.

The force of the crash sent both vehicles over the guardrail and part way down the Colorado River bank, with the pickup pinned beneath the cement truck.

Eastbound I-70 was closed for eight hours as the crash victims had to be extricated from the wreckage and a crane was used to remove the vehicles.

Garcia-Roman and the driver of the cement truck, James Martin, 70, of Rifle were both air-lifted from the scene to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction with life-threatening injuries, said CSP spokesman Trooper Josh Lewis.

As of Tuesday, Garcia-Roman remained hospitalized and Martin has since been discharged, a St. Mary’s Hospital spokesperson said.

A 10-year-old male who was riding in the pickup with Garcia-Roman also was taken to Valley View Hospital with serious injuries.

Lewis said it was unknown what caused the cement truck to go out of control. No drugs or alcohol were suspected in the crash, he said.

During the incident, eastbound traffic was diverted onto the adjacent U.S. Highway 6 between Silt and the Canyon Creek exit, causing long backups and delays as some motorists stopped to view the wreck site.