LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — A driver who police say swerved in front of a large truck was cited for careless driving after allegedly causing a major crash on Interstate 70 in Colorado.
“Luckily I didn’t sustain many injuries,” said Dean Vangsnes, a heavy wrecker driver who was involved in the crash.
Vangsnes was behind the wheel of his large tow truck on Oct. 17 when a white Mazda changed lanes, hit the front of his truck and caused him to lose control.
“It forced me to collide with other vehicles, then I went off the roadway,” Vangsnes said.
His company shared the video on Instagram in hopes of raising awareness with drivers to make sure they pay attention, especially when changing lanes. Vangsnes said he believed the driver who swerved was distracted behind the wheel.
The entire crash was captured on two different cameras on Vangsnes’ truck. One of the cameras shows the road and the other the inside the truck’s cabin.
“Watching the video, I’m OK with it ’cause I lived it, I’ve made terms with myself,” Vangsnes said.
But his family and friends have a different reaction.
“It’s hard for them to watch because they see it as it is…” Vangsnes said.
The Lakewood Police Department said on Tuesday that the crash involved a total of seven different vehicles, including Vangsnes’ truck, which went down into an embankment.
LPD also stated a couple of people were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Vangsnes was one of them.
Police cited the Mazda driver for careless driving causing injury, saying they were at fault.
“This hit too close to home,” Vangsnes said. “This was an avoidable accident.”
Vangsnes said that he is thankful he had the cameras going to share his side of the story.
“I almost lost my dash camera, it was ejected from the truck and it was really close to the water,” Vangsnes said.
He is currently taking some time off of work to heal.
