Available 
Commerce City, CO (June 9, 2026) – Two people were hurt early Monday morning in a pair of linked collisions on eastbound Interstate 76 near Commerce City. The crashes occurred just after 4:20 AM on Monday, June 8, and temporarily shut down the highway. A 31-year-old man driving a 2015 gray Subaru and a 66-year-old woman driving a 2012 black Hyundai Elantra were both injured.
The sequence began when the Subaru driver braked hard while approaching a semitrailer ahead of him: he swerved to avoid it, struck a separate semitrailer, and then hit the concrete median barrier. The Subaru spun out and collided again with a 2020 Volvo semitrailer that had been traveling behind it, eventually coming to rest in the middle lane. An unspecified number of passing vehicles sideswiped the Subaru before the driver got out and left the roadway.
With the abandoned Subaru sitting in the middle lane and its lights off, a second wreck followed shortly after. The Hyundai struck the unoccupied car and the driver, a 66-year-old woman, was taken to hospital in critical condition. The Subaru driver was taken to hospital with moderate injuries. The semitrailer driver was not hurt.
The Subaru driver was cited for careless driving causing serious bodily injury. Eastbound I-76 closed between 88th and 96th Avenues for roughly three hours before all lanes reopened by 7:30 AM.
Investigators continue to piece together the full sequence of the accident, and further details may be released in the coming days. We hope for a full recovery for those hurt, especially the woman who remains in critical condition.
What Happens When a Stopped or Abandoned Vehicle Causes a Second Crash on a Highway?
A vehicle left in a travel lane, especially at night or in low-light conditions, creates a serious secondary hazard for other drivers. Without functioning lights or warning signals, an abandoned car is extremely difficult for approaching drivers to see until it is too late to stop safely. This type of secondary collision is well-documented and is one reason highway safety guidelines emphasize moving disabled vehicles off active lanes as quickly as possible.
When a chain-reaction crash involves multiple vehicles and results in injuries to people not involved in the first collision, the review process becomes more complex. Investigators must reconstruct the timeline carefully to determine which contact caused which harm, particularly when the crashes are reported together as a single call. Vehicle damage patterns, witness accounts, and any available camera footage all factor into that reconstruction.
Highway closures after multi-vehicle crashes serve a dual purpose — they protect emergency units working at the scene and prevent additional collisions in an already disrupted stretch of road. Full lane closures are typically maintained until the roadway is cleared and any hazardous debris is removed.
