Last week, workers from various Summit County entities worked for hours cleaning up spilled oil after a tractor-trailer lost control on an off-ramp in Silverthorne, and the driver made now facing charges of reckless endangerment and reckless driving, according to the Silverthorne Police Chief. John Miner.
The driver, identified as Antonio Ramos Lopez Jr., 44, of Wyoming, reportedly lost control of the trailer brakes while driving down the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels. A sign just before exit 205 asks truck drivers who have lost their brakes to stay on the freeway. No other vehicles were involved, but Lopez was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Silverthorne executives briefly discussed their concerns after the crash at the city council’s business session. Council member Amy Manka said several community members had asked how they could get involved in road safety advocacy in Silverthorne, and Hyland said that in addition to getting involved in specific ongoing projects, it can be difficult. However, he said groups like the I-70 Coalition can do a lot when it comes to advocating for security measures.
“There’s no one solution,” Hyland said. “There is collaboration with the (trucking) industry. There is signage. There’s the punitive aspect – making sure people understand that there’s nothing punitive if you go up one of those ramps, but there will be something punitive if you take the whole day off the leader and community and make it a nightmare for public works, police and sheriff’s offices and CDOT.
On the same day as the crash, Summit County commissioners discussed unsafe vehicles passing through the county with CDOT leaders. Although last week’s incident did not involve a hazardous substance, executives are still concerned about the hazmat trucks rolling down the tunnel. Currently, hazardous vehicles are required to use US Highway 6 and take Loveland Pass when it is open, but when the pass is closed, hazardous materials are allowed to pass through the tunnels every hour, a process that includes usually a 15-20 minute close.
Seven months ago, a tractor-trailer carrying 12 packs of beer overturned in Silverthorne after losing its brakes while driving down I-70 from the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels. This driver also allegedly lost his brakes, and after the driver lost control of the vehicle on I-70, he cut a Jeep, then drove out of Silverthorne and onto the median of Blue River Parkway, where he rolled over on his side.
“We thought, ‘Wow, (the beer truck crash) is just an isolated incident, isn’t it?'” Minor told City Council on Wednesday. “It will probably never happen again. And then, seven months later, six months later, here we are.
Minor said the police department, along with public works, will bill the company responsible for the tanker for the hours and labor needed to deal with the truck accident last week. As of Monday, May 16, the exact cost of what would be charged was still being calculated, Minor said in an email. These costs will only be what was incurred by the city and not by other entities.
“My parents, as well as the people at (Minor), weren’t doing their jobs,” said public works director Tom Daughtery. “I’m not going to call it a wasted day. I’ll call it a day when we weren’t able to do our regular work. All of these tasks still need to be accomplished.
Hyland and Minor told the business session that the company’s billing isn’t just about the money. This is to send the message that someone should be responsible for damages, and that responsibility should not lie with the Town of Silverthorne.
