Highway closed after two vehicle injury crash

LA VETA PASS — A two-vehicle traffic accident at about 1:15 pm Sunday, July 1 resulted in eight injuries and the closure of the highway for about four hours.
The Colorado State Patrol reported that Palmer Cook, 72, of Blanca and a child passenger from his van were flown to a Pueblo hospital and were listed in stable condition early this week. Cook was driving a 1996 Dodge passenger van eastbound at about 1:15 pm at the top of the pass when investigators believe he slowed the van, attempted to make a U-turn and collided head-on with a Ford F150 pickup driven by Lawrence Richards, 50, of Parker.
There were four passengers in Cook’s van, including the injured child who was flown to Pueblo. Three of the injured were taken to San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa with moderate injuries.
Richards and the two other passengers in his car were taken to Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center in Walsenburg with minor injuries, according to a CSP press release.
Child safety restraints were not in use in Cook’s vehicle. The accident is under investigation and charges may be pending against Cook.