An early-morning pileup on Highway 85 in Commerce City turned deadly Wednesday, leaving one person dead and sending several others to local hospitals as rush-hour traffic came to a grinding halt, authorities said.
The five-vehicle crash unfolded near the 11900 block of Highway 85, just north of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. The person who died will be identified by the Adams County Coroner’s Office after family notification, according to The Denver Gazette. Multiple people were taken to nearby hospitals, and officers stayed at the scene for hours while investigators combed through the wreckage.
The Commerce City Police Department first alerted the public at 5:41 a.m. in a post on its Commerce City Police Department account on X, warning drivers to steer clear of the 11900 block area. The department said its crash-investigation team was on site and urged commuters to avoid the highway stretch while the scene was active.
Traffic impact and investigation
Both northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 85 were shut down as emergency crews worked to clear mangled vehicles and debris, and as investigators began reconstructing how the chain-reaction collision happened, according to The Denver Gazette. Commerce City police have not yet released details on what sparked the pileup, and the department’s accident-investigation unit is continuing to work the case.
Next steps
The Adams County Coroner’s Office will publicly release the victim’s name once identification is made and next of kin are notified. In the meantime, Commerce City Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or who has dash-cam footage from the area around the time of the wreck to contact the department. This is a developing story, and more information will be reported as authorities release additional details and official statements.
