A moped rider suffered serious injuries Saturday morning after colliding with a motorist on southbound Interstate 25 near 6th Avenue in Denver, prompting a traffic alert and delays through the corridor. The crash, involving a motorist and a moped, was reported to have caused serious injuries, according to the responding agency.
The Denver Police Dept. posted a Crash Alert Saturday morning, saying it was investigating the collision at southbound I-25 and 6th Avenue and warning drivers to expect delays in the area. Denver Police only issue these public alerts when a crash results in serious injuries or forces a road closure, and the department has noted it is not monitored around the clock. Anyone with information can reach police at 720-913-2000, or call or text 911 in an emergency.
The presence of a moped on the interstate itself raises a legal question. Under Colorado Revised Statutes 42-4-109, low-power scooters and mopeds are prohibited from traveling on interstate highways, including I-25, unless a designated bicycle lane runs alongside the roadway, according to the Colorado General Assembly. State law defines these vehicles as having engine capacities of 50cc or smaller, or electric power under 4,476 watts. How the moped came to be on I-25, and whether speed or visibility played a role in the collision, remain open questions that have not been addressed in available reporting.
A Highway Interchange With a Troubled Recent History
This is not the first serious crash to strike this exact stretch of southbound I-25 in recent months. On June 5, a southbound motorist struck a stalled vehicle at the same interchange, resulting in a driver’s death at a local hospital, as Hoodline reported in its story Deadly I-25 Crash Halts Denver Commute. Just weeks before Saturday’s moped collision, another serious-injury crash occurred at the same interchange on August 1, again causing driver injuries and severe traffic delays…