Author: KRDO

Stella Girkins

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – I-25 has reopened in both directions after Tuesday’s deadly crash shut down the highway south of Pueblo for more than 12 hours.

The Pueblo County Coroner has identified the four people killed as David Kirscht and his adult son, Scott Kirscht, both of Walsenburg, Mary Sue Thayer of Rye, and Karen Ann Marsh of Pueblo.

The crash happened in the Stem Beach area around ten in the morning. The interstate was closed in both directions, while law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency crews responded.

Southbound lanes reopened Monday evening, while northbound traffic remained detoured until early Tuesday morning.

According to the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), the pile-up involved 29 passenger vehicles, seven semi-trucks, and a livestock trailer.

CSP says the chain-reaction crash unfolded during sudden “brown-out” conditions – strong winds kicking up dust and dirt, drastically reducing visibility.

“The visibility was not bad until it wasn’t,” said Kimber Begano, who narrowly missed the crash. “There was no bracing yourself for it. You were just in the thick of it.”

What CSP says to do in a brown-out

Following the crash, viewers asked what drivers should do if they suddenly lose visibility on the highway.

Before heading out, CSP encourages drivers to check CoTrip.org and local weather.

“If drivers encounter a brownout while traveling, they should immediately slow down, turn on their light-beam headlights, and increase following distance,” says Trooper Sherri Mendez. “Reducing speed and increasing following distance gives drivers more time to react.”

Drivers should also avoid sudden braking or abrupt lane changes.

If visibility drops to near zero, CSP reminds drivers not to stop in the travel lane. Instead, carefully move completely off the roadway by taking the next exit or pulling off – well beyond the shoulder.

“Once safely off the road, drivers should turn off their lights, set the parking brake, and remain in their vehicle with their seatbelts fastened until visibility improves,” says Mendez. “Leaving lights on while stopped can unintentionally cause other motorists to follow those lights and collide with the parked vehicle.”

Authorities continue to investigate the crash as the southern Colorado community recovers from one of the most significant pile-ups in recent memory.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) also shared this guidance.

Similar to a blizzard, brownouts reduce visibility significantly. Motorists should avoid driving through a dust storm if possible. When that’s not possible, motorists should not stop in a travel lane but should exit the roadway, park, turn off headlights and use the emergency brake. 

CDOT works with State Patrol to determine whether and when wind-related restrictions or closures need to be put into place; typically, 60 mph gusts or sustained winds are a threshold we use to help make this determination.

If CDOT, in coordination with the Colorado State Patrol, determines that high winds – typically 60 mph+ – could compromise traveler safety, a High Wind Restriction will be issued for a particular segment of highway. High profile vehicles such as semi-trucks, loaded or with an empty load, will be required to park and shelter in place or turn around until it is determined winds have subsided and it is safe for such vehicles to resume travel. The restriction helps prevent a truck, trailer or light-weighing vehicles from suddenly entering into another lane or causing a rollover.

– The Colorado Department of Transportation.

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Josh Helmuth

4th and 5th-graders from a Pueblo charter school are making sure adoptable pets go home to loving families through a little effort and artistic vision.

The students from the Villa Bella Expeditionary School held a Valentine’s Day project to support PAWS For Life, an animal shelter in Pueblo. The goal? Collect donations to help support the shelter while using their art projects to inspire people to adopt the animals waiting for a home.

The fifth-grade class made acrylic pet portraits of the animals on canvas, now displayed at the shelter to highlight the animals in need of a home. The 4th-grade class made watercolor portraits of the animals that go home to the families that adopt the corresponding animal. Together, they also collected over 400 items for the shelter.

“We are so proud of our students for turning Valentine’s Day into an opportunity to give back and make a difference in the lives of animals in our community,” said Audrianna Martinez, the school’s art teacher.

Jessica Ortiz is the school’s principal, who says the effort was “designed to foster deep engagement and develop character by connecting students to a relevant, local issue.”

“Seeing the excitement and empathy for these pets has been truly heartwarming to witness,” she said.

Is there something or someone remarkable at your school? Tell us! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

   

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Michael Logerwell

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Dozens of cars colliding on both sides of I-25 around 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday led to dozens of injuries, several deaths, and the interstate closing for more than 12 hours.

While emergency responders continue to clear the wreckage from I-25, a clear picture of the bodily harm caused by the massive fatal crash has emerged.

The Pueblo County Coroner has notified next-of-kin for the five people who lost their lives on the highway:

David L. Kirscht and his son Scott L. Kirscht from Walsenburg, Colorado

Mary Sue Thayer from Rye, Colorado

Karen Ann Marsh from Pueblo, Colorado

Thomas Thayer of Rye, Colorado

29 others were transported to one of two area hospitals: UC Health or CommonSpirit. 11 of those injured went to Saint Mary-Corwin, and the others went out to the UC Health hospitals.

21 victims only sustained what the Colorado State Patrol is calling moderate to minor injuries. Seven sustained serious bodily injury, and one is in critical condition tonight.

“Today, everything stops. It’s all hands on deck. So whatever we had going on just stopped this. I won’t say it’s a strain because we’re prepared for it. And when we have to bring people in, bring additional staff, nurses, physicians, they’re all at the ready. They know that’s part of the deal,” said Mike Cafasso, president of Saint Mary-Corwin Hospital.

Cafasso said the Pueblo hospitals and first responders train for this type of mass casualty event annually, despite its rarity.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – For the volunteers with Richards Rubbish Roundup, their cleanup on Tuesday afternoon is anything but random.

“Some of them, their favorite thing to do, is see how many carts of trash they can get out of the waterway,” Director Sonja Walker said.

Despite the monthly pre-planning, Walker and her non-profit are not immune to coincidence.

Tuesday is National Random Acts of Kindness Day.” Walker was not aware. It’s just what they do! What better way to celebrate a holiday about randomness, than randomly (and accidentally) planning its celebration?

“If you see any area that needs to be cleaned up, maybe just call us, and you can start your own Rubbish Roundup with us,” Walker said.

Walker and Richards Rubbish Roundup will meet on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the Templeton Gap Trail near 3333 Templeton Gap Road. Everyone is welcome to come and help as they clean the local waterway.

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Celeste Springer

Editor’s note: The livestream has ended.

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Interstate 25 closed in both directions near Stem Beach on Tuesday after a major crash. The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) confirmed that at least 30 vehicles were involved, and so far, there are four confirmed fatalities.

On Tuesday afternoon, CSP added that 29 people were taken to the hospital, though the agency did not disclose the extent of their injuries. State patrol says school buses were used to transport patients to the hospital.

As of late Tuesday evening, only southbound I-25 was back open.

A CDOT spokesperson said there were poor conditions at the time of the crash, as heavy wind had kicked up dust and dirt, though an official cause of the crash will still need to be determined.

On Tuesday afternoon, CDOT announced high wind caution on I-25 from Mile Marker 00 all the way to Mile Marker 163; from New Mexico to Monument.

“Reminder to drivers that even though conditions are dry, visibility can be very bad.  Drivers need to slow down and drive safe,” a CDOT spokesperson said.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says warning message boards had been activated since Sunday, alerting drivers about high winds and Red Flag conditions. However, officials say wind speeds had not reached thresholds required to close the interstate or implement high-wind travel restrictions before the dust storm rapidly moved into the area.

After visibility deteriorated, CDOT says high-wind caution measures were put into place.

One driver who spoke with KRDO 13 said the dust storm moved in with little warning.

“Usually, if the weather’s bad, we’ll pull over so that we miss it,” the driver said. “But there was no way of missing it. The visibility was clear, and then immediately it was just dirt and dark.”

The driver said her vehicle narrowly avoided being part of the crash.

“If we had been five minutes later, we would have been in that accident,” she said.

Strong winds continued pushing dust across the region throughout the afternoon, causing additional travel delays. Drivers rerouted onto frontage roads reported slow-moving traffic and poor visibility.

The Pueblo Fire Department said over 23 different agencies responded to the crash.

One of the vehicles in the northbound crash was a pickup hauling a gooseneck trailer containing goats. Four of the goats did not survive. Twenty-eight of the goats survived and have been safely removed from the scene.

The Pueblo Fire Department says there will be a victims’ reunification center at Pueblo South High School off Hollywood Drive.

First responders ask that you avoid the area.

Weather officials expect winds to calm later Tuesday evening, but authorities say northbound I-25 will remain closed until investigators complete their work and the roadway is cleared.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — While most drivers slept Monday night and early Tuesday morning, significant traffic impacts took place on Marksheffel Road between Barnes Road and Dublin Boulevard.

That stretch is the northern half of the ongoing widening project that started in the summer of 2023 along the city’s northeastern border, and covers nearly three miles from Dublin to North Carefree Circle.

In the overnight work zone around the Marksheffel/Stetson Hills/Huber Road intersection, Marksheffel closed for drainage work.

At the Marksheffel/Dublin intersection, crews established a new traffic pattern — leaving open lanes in the middle to create more space on the outside for road construction and installing traffic signals.

The overnight work started at 7 p.m. Monday and was scheduled to end around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday, drivers can expect more traffic impacts around the Marksheffel/Stetson Hills/Huber intersection; crews will pave over the drainage pipes installed overnight, and only one lane of Marksheffel will be open during that time.

Flaggers will be on duty to guide drivers through the area.

At the project’s expected completion later this year, Marksheffel will expand from two to four lanes, have a center median and new sidewalks, and extensive drainage upgrades to prevent road flooding that had been troublesome in the past.

The estimated construction cost is $55 million and includes widening Dublin approximately a mile west of Marksheffel.

The Marksheffel project coincides with other improvements, such as the recently completed Banning Lewis Parkway through the growing subdivision of the same name.

Eventually, Stetson Hills and Barnes will connect to the Parkway, and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is planning to build an overpass at the Stetson Hills/Powers Boulevard intersection.

Marksheffel now extends north to Vollmer Road, just south of Black Forest.

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Michael Logerwell

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – El Paso County is under a Stage 2 fire restriction. Parts of Pueblo and Fremont County could see their power turned off; Southern Colorado is already feeling the impact of fire danger without smoke filling the sky.

RELATED: Black Hills Energy on emergency shutoff watch in select counties due to fire danger

“I think we’re at a critical position with our fire danger,” said Cimarron Hills Fire Chief, Andrew York.

A quarter after 11:00 A.M. Monday, members of the Cimarron Hills Fire Department responded to a mutual aid request from the Falcon Fire Department.

Picture of the grass fire from the CMFD social media account.

The fire only burned around 12 acres, but not due to a lack of fuel.

“When you start looking at our fuel moisture, if you look at even just the mountains that have had very little snow this year. So our snowpack is down a lot from what it normally is. We just haven’t had the moisture through the winter. We didn’t really have a lot of moisture last year either,” said Chief York.

Two years in a row with subpar precipitation and increased wind gusts are why El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal enacted stage 2 fire restrictions on Monday, and why many fire departments, including CMFD, brought in extra staff for Monday.

“The current conditions create an extreme risk for wildfires, which can spread rapidly and threaten lives, homes, and critical infrastructure,” said Sheriff Roybal.

For residents of El Paso County, that means some activities are prohibited:

Open Burning & Fires: All open fires and open burning are prohibited. This includes campfires, warming fires, charcoal grill fires, and the use of wood-burning stoves (except as noted below).

Fireworks: The sale and use of all fireworks is strictly prohibited.

Outdoor Smoking: Smoking is prohibited outdoors. Smoking is only allowed within an enclosed vehicle or building.

Explosives: The use of explosives is prohibited.

Fire conditions like these also affect firefighters. “There’s the mindset of getting out there quicker and getting things rolling,” said Cody Schauer, a firefighter with CMFD.

Schauer was one of the CMFD firefighters who responded to the mutual aid request out in Falcon.

“All of us that are on the brush [fire truck], we’re already in our greens and our equipment for fighting wildland fires. Anything that goes out will start rolling that way even before we’re dispatched. Just so, if they do need us, we’re already almost there,” Schauer said the department also spends more time briefing on fire conditions.

“There’s a heightened awareness of everything going on,” Schauer said.

Power Concerns

Elsewhere in Southern Colorado, different precautions have been undertaken.

“The safety of our customers, employees, and communities is our highest priority,” said Campbell Hawkins, Vice President of Colorado Utilities for Black Hills Energy. “Our Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff program, or PSPS, is a critical tool for wildfire prevention and used as a last-resort measure to protect lives and property and will only be activated in areas with elevated wildfire risk.”

Black Hills Energy is putting customers on alert. Their power might get shut off on Tuesday.

“We recognize that shutting off power, even to reduce wildfire risks, has broad impacts,” said Hawkins.

The energy company said on Monday that isolated portions of Crowley County, Fremont County, Otero County, Pueblo County, and the cities of Cripple Creek, Victor, and Westcliffe in Teller County are under an Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff Watch.

That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen or even that it’s likely. It means that if fire conditions persist or worsen, Black Hills could temporarily shut off power to approximately 5,400 customers in these areas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday to mitigate the risk of electrical infrastructure becoming a source of wildfire ignition.

Black Hills is asking that customers in those areas, who have been notified, have a backup plan for medicine that needs to be refrigerated or medical equipment that is powered by electricity.

To keep up to date on updates from Black Hills, click here, or you can find them on social media.

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) confirms it is investigating an incident where a dog was shot, and KRDO13 has learned the incident has left neighbors at odds. The department says it got the call just after noon on Friday.

Police say the dog is in stable condition.

On Monday, KRDO13 spoke with the owner of the dog and the man who fired the gun.

The owner of the dog, Vincent Harlow, tells KRDO13 he came home on Friday to Animal Law Enforcement at his door. He says they told him there was an altercation between dogs. Harlow says he got through to the backyard to find his dog, Wednesday, lying in her dogbed in a pool of blood.

He says they rushed her to the animal hospital in disbelief.

“We just laid down all the seats in my truck flat and slid her in like it was a mini ambulance sort of thing, to give her as much comfort, which was not much use crying every time we hit anything. Halfway to the ER, she got real quiet. And that’s when I started to get really nervous because she wasn’t making any noise. And by the time we got there, she wasn’t even like, she didn’t look like she was like a dog anymore. She just looked like she was going to be like, be gone,” said Vincent Harlow.

Harlow says Wednesday already had emergency surgery and needs another. He says the veterinarian told them the bullet fractured her humerus and hit her other leg, needing stitches.

The neighbor who discharged a firearm, Wayne Karbowski, says he didn’t want to fire his gun, but felt like he had to. He says his young son, Atticus, had opened the back door and called to him.

“And I looked outside, and the neighbor’s dog was out there, and it was like one of these neighborhood super pinnacle moments where everything kind of slowed down. The dog jumped at him, and Oreo (Karbowski’s dog) jumped at the dog. And then I pulled Atticus back in the house. I looked outside, and Oreo was being attacked by two of his Rottweilers outside,” recounted Karbowski.

Karbowski says he pulled his son inside and went to retrieve his gun.

“I didn’t want to shoot the dog in front of my kid and kill the dog. I couldn’t kill the dog anyway because I didn’t want to hit my dog. So I went to shoot at the ground beside the dog because the other dog was circling around behind me, and I guess it ricocheted back up into its shoulder, and he yelped. All the attacking stopped,” stated Karbowski.

Wednesday’s owner disputes this claim. Harlow tells KRDO13 the veterinarian determined the gunshot went through the right shoulder and exited at the elbow.

An excerpt of the veterinarian report provided by Harlow.

Karbowski says his dog, Oreo, was bitten in the fight.

“I had to take him to the vet. He got some meds. He got heavily medicated that night. Yeah, but I probably didn’t spend anywhere near what they probably had to. Yeah, that’s unfortunate,” said Wayne Karbowski.

However, Wednesday’s owner, Harlow, says his dog is not aggressive and wouldn’t have tried to attack Karbowski or his dog.

“I couldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it. I just I’m adamant that I know this, my animal would have never done anything like that,” said Harlow.

He says his three girls will sleep with the dog, paint her nails, and even put her hair in ponytails without a problem. Harlow got emotional sharing what it was like to tell his children that their dog had been shot.

“They just started breaking down, screaming, crying, saying no, no, no, no, no. Why would they do something like that? Why would they do that? She’s such a sweet dog. And, it was just really heartbreaking just to hear your children, I had never heard my kids cry like that, ever,” recounted Harlow.

Both neighbors say the fence came down due to the other.

Animal Law Enforcement confirmed to KRDO13 that it is actively investigating the incident and is working in coordination with the Colorado Springs Police Department. They say that because this remains an open investigation, we’re not able to confirm specific details related to the case at this time.

Harlow’s family is raising money to afford an additional surgery for their dog, Wednesday, on this verified GoFundMe.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — It’s been nearly three months since construction of the four new bridges on South Circle Drive ended, and the remaining step of the overall project is to tear down the last piece of the old bridges.

That demolition work will require closing Hancock Expressway under the new bridges for four weeks, starting Monday.

The final segment of the old eastbound bridge is on the north end of the new structures, between two of the four new structures.

Workers began placing closure signs on Hancock shortly after 5:30 a.m.

Just south of Hancock are several pieces of heavy equipment and piles of broken concrete and twisted metal from the old bridges.

The old bridges were built in 1963 and were among a dozen in the city rated in poor condition.

According to the city’s project website, the new bridge construction process relied on advanced project planning and design, innovative materials, and construction methods to reduce the time and effort required to replace the previous structures.

The benefits of the construction approach for the four bridges included improvements in safety, quality, durability, social costs, and environmental impacts.

This strategy reduced traffic and mobility impacts, onsite construction time, and weather-related time delays.

The overall project cost around $45 million, financed by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA).

Finally, the city said that other closures may be necessary this spring so that crews can install new water lines.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – World-class Lithuanian Magician, Rokas Bernatonis, broke his third card-throwing world record last week before returning to Cosmo’s Magic Theater in Colorado Springs for a show.

Rokas broke the record for longest playing card throw, making it into a 10-foot basketball hoop. He threw the card from past half-court.

Rokas setting his third Guinness World Record in card throwing. Video credit to Rokas.

“It’s hard trying to prove to people that there’s no magic. It’s just a paper playing card, but they’re like, ‘the air conditioning is helping you!’ Like, no, it’s a Guinness World Record,” Rokas said. “They’re like, ‘It’s paper, it’s so light!’ And I’m like, ‘Exactly, that’s why there’s a world record for that.'”

Rokas first performed at Cosmo’s last year. He thoroughly fooled KRDO13’s Bradley Davis, and now he is returning for another couple of weekends on his U.S. tour.

“I learned that magic is not really magic tricks. It’s what you bring with magic tricks, which is joy, laughter, and amazement,” Rokas said. “You can bring magic to people without doing magic tricks. Just be nice.”

Rokas performed a shortened version of one of his tricks live for KRDO13 this morning. The video is attached. We will have the full story during our 12 p.m. newscast.

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