AURORA, Colo. – A Colorado state trooper and an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s deputy were injured Saturday night during a two-vehicle crash in Aurora, near Front Range Airport.
The head-on crash happened around 5:30 p.m. on 48th Avenue, just west of Manila Road.
Sgt. Chris Amsler, of the Aurora Police Department told Denver7 that the trooper had to be extricated from his unmarked Dodge Charger. He was later identified as Corporal Ivan Alvarado, a 10 year veteran of the force.
"He suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted," Amsler said. Trooper Alvarado remained in the hospital Sunday.
Amsler said the deputy, who was driving a Ford Expedition SUV, was also injured, but not as seriously.
"He was transported to a hospital by ambulance," he said. The deputy was released from the hospital the next day.
When asked about the cause of the crash, Amsler replied, "All we know at this point is that both the state trooper and the sheriff's deputy were responding, along with the Adams County Sheriff's Office, to a report of a road rage incident that involved a weapon at 80th and Schumacher."
Amsler added, "Out here in the rural areas there typically aren't a lot of officers on duty, so it's not uncommon for the sheriff's office to request assistance from other jurisdictions."
He said that's most likely why an Arapahoe County deputy was in Adams County, and why the state patrol was also assisting.
APD's traffic investigations unit worked into the night trying to reconstruct the accident.
News crews were kept about a block to a block and a half away. From that vantage point you could see that the roof of the Charger had been sheared away.
Amsler said that was a result of the extrication process, not the accident itself.
"We want everyone to keep the trooper and the deputy in their prayers," Amsler said.
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