A Santa Clarita Flyers youth girls’ 12AA hockey team was involved in a deadly multi-vehicle crash in Colorado Thursday morning.
The accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on eastbound I-70 close to the Herman Gulch exit in Clear Creek County – 80 miles west of Denver. A Sprinter van transporting 10 people collided with a Colorado Department of Transportation snowplow.
Two other vehicles were also involved. The vehicles had crossed the median into the westbound lanes after the impact.
“I’m writing to confirm that there was a terrible traffic accident this morning in Colorado involving members of our Lady Flyers 12AA team,” said Prescott Littlefield, the president of the team, in a statement.
“Words cannot express the heartbreak we are experiencing. Please hold these families in your prayers.”
According to a statement by hospital officials made to ABC news affiliate Denver7, the driver of the van, a father to one of the players, was pronounced dead at the scene, while eight other passengers in the van, three adults and five minors, were transported to local hospitals via ambulance. One adult declined medical assistance.
One minor sustained critical injuries and had to be airlifted by a Flight for Life helicopter to a trauma center.
Several of the children were in good condition, while the adults remain in fair to serious conditions, hospital officials say.
“We’re doing everything in our power to assist the team and its families in any way that we can at this time. We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support we have received from the community, and we’ll continue to pray for the girls and their families,” Littlefield said.
The team was traveling to a tournament in Colorado and was set to play their first match on Friday.
Interstate 70 was closed for much of the day during an investigation into the crash. The eastbound lanes have since been reopened. Colorado State Patrol is leading the investigation.
The name of the deceased driver from the van has not been released at this time.
