Two pedestrians were killed late Wednesday after a driver struck them on the southbound Interstate 25 on-ramp at Sixth Avenue in Denver, police said. The circumstances that led up to the crash were not immediately available as of Thursday, and the driver had not been identified.
The Denver Police Department posted about the fatal crash at 11:22 p.m. Wednesday, according to The Denver Post. Police said an unidentified driver hit the two pedestrians on the ramp and that both died as a result. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner was expected to identify the victims, though their names had not been released.
The intersection of I-25 and Sixth Avenue sits on the edge of Denver's Baker, Lincoln Park, Sun Valley and Valverde neighborhoods, according to the same report. As of Thursday, the Post noted that information about what led up to the crash was still not immediately available.
A Separate Report Raises Questions
A separate account from kdvr.com described a fatal crash involving a motorist and a pedestrian near southbound I-25 and 6th Avenue, reporting that the roadway reopened around 10:26 a.m. after being closed for nearly three hours. That outlet also reported that Denver police described the incident as a hit-and-run and asked for the public's help locating the driver. It is not established whether that report concerns the same crash described by the Post, and the two accounts differ on the number of pedestrians involved.
Pedestrian Deaths Have Been Climbing in Denver
The crash adds to a trend that has alarmed city officials for months. Denver recorded 93 traffic fatalities in 2025, up from 80 the year before, according to the Denver Gazette. Traffic deaths in the city are up 82% since 2017, the outlet reported.
Pedestrian fatalities specifically climbed from 23 in 2021 to 26 in 2024, then jumped to 35 last year, per the same report. Cyclist deaths rose from four in 2021 to five last year, and electric stand-up scooters were tied to eight deaths in 2025, up from zero the year before, with one additional death involving a moped-type scooter.
Other Recent Pedestrian Crashes in Denver
Wednesday's crash follows other recent incidents involving pedestrians struck by drivers in Denver. In a separate case downtown, a driver was accused of hitting three pedestrians near Larimer Street and 20th Street early one Sunday morning, according to Denver7. Police records in that case said the driver left a parking lot, turned southwest and drove through a red light, striking three women who had the right of way in a crosswalk.
That driver, Cesario Serrato, was charged with one felony count of vehicular assault and two misdemeanor counts of assault, Denver7 reported. Denver police said at the time that DUI-related crashes were down 15% compared with the same period the previous year, even as pedestrian deaths overall continued to climb.
No arrests or charges have been reported in connection with Wednesday's crash on the I-25 ramp at Sixth Avenue. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner had not released the identities of the two pedestrians as of Thursday.
