Major Colorado pileup involving about 70 vehicles sends 8 to the hospital

Officials say crashes involving about 70 vehicles have bottlenecked a section of a snowy Colorado highway and sent eight people to the hospital
Crashes involving about 70 vehicles on Tuesday snarled a section of a snowy Colorado highway and sent eight people to the hospital, according to authorities.

The massive pileup prompted officials to close the eastbound side of Interstate 70 in Clear Creek County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Denver , Colorado State Patrol said in a statement.

Officials evaluated 19 people for injuries and took eight of them to the hospital, including one person who had “sustained serious bodily injuries,” according to the state patrol.

Images online show multiple semitrucks involved in the pileup, with debris lining the roadway, fronts of vehicles smashed and at least one vehicle balanced partially off the ground.

It was not immediately clear what caused the pileup.