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Death Toll Rises to Five After 36‑Vehicle ‘Brownout’ Pileup on I‑25 Near Pueblo

Investigators attribute the chain‑reaction crashes to wind‑blown dust, prompting scrutiny of when to impose high‑wind restrictions.

Overview

  • Colorado State Patrol says five people have died and at least 28 others were hospitalized after crashes just after 10 a.m. Tuesday near mile marker 92.
  • Troopers report 29 passenger vehicles and seven semitrailers were involved as gusts near 60–70 mph dropped visibility to near zero.
  • Northbound and southbound lanes were closed for hours; southbound reopened mid‑afternoon Tuesday and northbound reopened before 11:40 p.m.
  • The Pueblo County Coroner identified four victims — David L. Kirscht and Scott L. Kirscht of Walsenburg, Mary Sue Thayer of Rye, and Karen Ann Marsh of Pueblo — with a fifth victim’s name pending.
  • CDOT and State Patrol say they coordinate wind‑related restrictions using roughly 60 mph gusts as a typical threshold, and the agencies face questions over whether closures should have been put in place earlier.