Runaway vehicle speeds through Clear Creek
An out-of-control vehicle took its driver on a 25-mile route at speeds over 100 mph through Clear Creek and into Jefferson County before crashing in Genesee.
The driver, Greg Gill, and his dog walked away from the accident unharmed.
“A Pontiac Grand Am called in a 911 saying he had no brakes, no emergency brake, ended up going eastbound on I-70,” said Idaho Springs police Sgt. Jim Vogt.
Vogt said Gill told dispatch that his accelerator was stuck. Several departments, including Idaho Springs, tried to stop the runaway car unsuccessfully.
Vogt questioned why the driver wasn’t able to turn off his car or put it into neutral.
“… Why didn’t he do any of that? I don’t know,” Vogt said.
Woman rescued from Mount Spalding
The Alpine Rescue Team and Flight for Life rescued a woman from Mount Spalding by helicopter on Sunday afternoon.
The woman reportedly was having a difficult time breathing on the 13,842-foot mountain above the stone feature known as the Black Wall.
“There were any number of different extenuating circumstances. We weren’t sure till the very last minute whether we could get a chopper in there or not, so we had alternate evacuation systems organized and en route,” said Alpine Rescue spokesman Bill Barwick.
Barwick said it was easy to land the helicopter where the woman was located.
“The Flight for Life helicopter folks were able to get in to her. We inserted two people to help with the loading of the subject. She was transported directly to the hospital,” Barwick said.
The woman was not identified, but Barwick said she was released from the hospital Sunday evening.