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Rogel Lazaro Aguilera, of Texas, is being held at the Jefferson County jail for investigation of two counts of vehicular homicide-reckless driving in connection with the crash. The Jefferson County coroner is working on a victim count, which was complicated because of the intensity of a fire that consumed numerous vehicles.
Aguilera will appear Saturday afternoon in Jefferson County Court for an advisement hearing, according to jail records.
So far, four authorities have confirmed four deaths. The identities, genders and ages of the victims have not been released because the fires burned them beyond recognition, Lakewood police spokesman John Romero said.
The impact triggered a series of explosions that killed multiple people and sent six people to hospitals with serious injuries, authorities said.
In a Friday morning press conference, Lakewood police spokesman Ty Countryman said police are not yet releasing the number of people killed in the crash as investigators work to verify the number of fatalities.
"We're still working on a final count of cars to people," said Countryman, adding that the Jefferson County Coroner's office must sort through human remains found inside cars to determine whether multiple victims were inside some cars. In most cases, only one person was in each vehicle, he said.
Lumber from the suspect's flatbed truck shot across the highway and caught on fire when cars exploded and spilled fuel ignited. Raging flames brought temperatures on the surface of the highway to above 2,500 degrees, melting aluminum and turning pavement into rubble, said Josh Laipply, chief engineer of the Colorado Department of Transportation.
"I think we lose sight that vehicles are deadly weapons, and we need to be more careful when we are driving," Laipply said.
The westbound lanes of the interstate were opened just before 2 p.m. on Friday. The eastbound lanes remain closed Friday while police investigate the long stretch of the highway for evidence and road crews clean up debris.
CDOT officials said Friday they will assess bridge and road damage after police finish the investigation. Laipply estimated that the road may not be opened until Saturday because of the need to repave the highway in some locations.
Aguilera is being held for investigation of several counts of vehicular homicide in connection with the crash, Countryman said. There is no evidence the crash was intentional, Countryman said. The driver was one of six people injured in the crash.
Even if mechanical problems contributed to the crash, the semi driver will likely face vehicular homicide charges based on statements by witnesses and video cameras that provide perspective about how the crash happened, Countryman said. As drivers descend the 6 percent grade into Denver, there are numerous signs warning truck drivers to slow down. District Attorney Peter Weir's office will make the final decision about what charges to file.
Countryman described the incident and scene as "devastation."
Emergency calls started streaming into dispatchers at 4:50 p.m. Thursday.
Initially, Countryman reported one person was dead but as West Metro firefighters extinguished multiple car fires, they discovered the remains of other people in burnt-out car shells,Countryman said.
A West Metro Fire Rescue firefighter was also injured by an explosion, fire officials said. The firefighter was hit by debris, likely from an exploding tire. His injuries were described as minor.
Lakewood police had to wait until fire crews were finished rescuing people and putting out roaring car fires before approaching the scene to investigate.
Traffic on I-70 where the crash occurred had backed up because of an earlier crash, Countryman said.
That crash happened on I-70 near Ward Road and involved a school bus and semi-truck. Only minor injuries were reported, but eastbound lanes of the highway were briefly shut down.
"It doesn't appear the bridge was hit," he said. But it was scorched by flames from vehicles and spilled diesel fuel.
The driver suspected of causing the chain-reaction collisions is not from Colorado, Countryman said. After he was treated for minor injuries he underwent questioning by investigators and will be held in the Jefferson County jail.
He said there was no evidence that the suspect driver had been using drugs or alcohol.
"What is happening yesterday and today, it's completely broke our family, our business, everything. It just broke us," she told Ismaila Alfa, host of CBC Manitoba's afternoon radio show, Up to Speed.That's called a pity ploy. "It" didn't break your family. You did that all on your own, apparently. It's actually quite common for criminals to blame others and avoid responsibility for their actions. There's an endless number of murderers, for instance, who have cried about how getting caught destroyed their lives. "Yeah, I might've killed a few people, but what about me? Look at how it ruined MY life!"
Comment: This isn't the first time these two conservative voices have been targeted: