Death toll rises after nearly 40 vehicles involved in I-25 crash south of Pueblo

(PUEBLO, Colo.) — The Pueblo County Coroner has identified the fifth person who died from the multi-vehicle crash on I-25 that happened south of Pueblo on Tuesday, Feb. 17, as Thomas Thayer of Rye. Thayer was pronounced dead at 5:48 p.m. on Tuesday. The next of kin has been notified. The Coroner's Office said the cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results. The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) has confirmed that another person has died following the fatal crash on I-25 south of Pueblo that involved almost 40 vehicles on Tuesday, Feb. 17. According to CSP, the man who died was among the 29 people who were taken to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. This death brings the total fatalities of the crash to five. Of the other four who were killed in Tuesday's crash, two were men from Walsenburg, and the other two were women; one from Rye and the other from Pueblo. The latest update also confirms that all lanes of northbound I-25 were reopened around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The southbound lanes of the interstate were reopened around 2:30 p.m. that afternoon. CSP reports its first response, alongside the Pueblo Fire Department (PFD), Pueblo Police Department (PPD), and the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), at just after 10 a.m. on Tuesday on southbound I-25 at milepost 92, just south of Pueblo Boulevard. In total, 23 agencies responded to the crash, with more than 50 responders on scene. State patrol noted that on Tuesday morning, heavy winds carrying dirt created "brown out" conditions with little to no visibility at the time of the crash. The final count of vehicles involved was 29 cars and seven semi trucks, bringing the total to 36. Among the vehicles involved was at least one livestock trailer, and Animal Law Enforcement (ALE) said about 30 sheep and one goat were either loose at the crash scene or trapped inside the wreckage of the trailer. Multiple agencies helped gather the animals and place them safely in a trailer for reunification with caretakers. Unfortunately, four of the sheep were too injured to recover, according to the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR). Along with the first responders' efforts, Pueblo School District 60 provided buses to help take uninjured people from the scene of the crash to a reunification site at Pueblo South High School. CSP says that the crash remains under investigation, and troopers will provide updates when available.