A motorist died at the scene of a crash near East 39th Avenue and North Peoria Street on Saturday, prompting Denver police to close off the area and warn drivers to seek alternate routes. Officers said one person was pronounced dead at the scene, and the investigation into what led to the crash is ongoing.
According to the Denver Police Dept., the crash involved a single motorist, and the department cautioned that delays should be expected in the area while officers worked the scene. Police noted they only issue a formal crash alert when at least one person involved sustains serious injuries or the crash forces a road closure, underscoring the severity of Saturday’s collision. The department directs anyone with information to call 911 for emergencies or its non-emergency line at 720-913-2000, since its social media account is not staffed around the clock.
The intersection sits in an industrial, commercial stretch of Far Northeast Denver, just south of Interstate 70 and the RTD Peoria Station transit hub, according to the research dossier compiled for this story. Both Peoria Street and 39th Avenue are part of Denver’s High Injury Network, a designation covering the roughly 5 percent of city streets that account for half of all traffic fatalities and serious injuries citywide, per the City and County of Denver.
A Corridor With a Troubled History
This is not the first time officers have responded to a crash at this exact intersection. Denver police responded to a crash at East 39th Avenue and North Peoria Street in February 2025 that involved a vehicle and a pedestrian who was hospitalized, according to Dormer Harpring. One block away, at East 39th Avenue and Paris Street, a fatal collision in August 2023 left a pedestrian dead at the scene, as reported by Denver7…