The 55-year-old Washington man who died Saturday in a collision on Interstate 70 between Exit 205 and the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels has been identified.

Summit County Coroner Regan Wood said Dmytro Pronin, of Renton, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred around noon on Oct. 1 at mile marker 221.

Regan said Pronin “was an unrestrained passenger on a sleeping platform behind the front seats.”

---

---

Colorado State Police Master Trooper Gary Cutler said the 47-year-old male driver of the box truck attempted to miss the semitractor-trailer but ended up striking it from behind.

“The box truck was coming up behind him at a faster speed and realized at the last little bit that the semi was going really slow, swerved to miss it and basically rear ended the semi on the passenger side,” Cutler said Saturday.

---

---

Cutler said the 57-year-old woman driving the semitractor-trailer had her hazard lights on as she made her way east on I-70 toward the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels due to the steep incline and her reduced speed.

The driver of the box truck was reportedly going the speed limit when the collision occurred, Cutler said.

Both drivers were uninjured in the crash. Cutler said they refused medical treatment.

Regan said the manner of death was ruled “accidental” due to a motor vehicle crash. The cause of death is still under investigation pending an autopsy. The area and general description of the injuries sustained in the crash are unknown at this time, Regan said, and the autopsy results are expected to arrive next week.

Eastbound I-70 lanes between Exit 205 in Silverthorne and the tunnels were closed for nearly eight hours, forcing traffic to be routed through Summit County via Loveland Pass on U.S. Highway 6.

This is at least the third major accident in Summit County in the past two weeks.

A cyclist died Sept. 20 after police say a Dillon man driving a pickup truck drifted onto the shoulder of Colorado Highway 9 near mile marker 107, just a few miles north of Silverthorne. Cutler said investigators were not looking at drugs, alcohol or excessive speeds at the time of the investigation.

On Sept. 29, five people were hospitalized following a head-on collision on Colorado Highway 9, just north of Silverthorne near mile marker 111. Cutler said a Ram 2500 pickup truck was traveling southbound when it crossed the centerline and hit a northbound GMC Sierra pickup around 7 a.m.

Summit Fire & EMS extricated a man pinned under a steering wheel, according to Summit Fire & EMS spokesperson Steve Lipsher.

With increased traffic expected on I-70 and throughout Summit County due to peak fall foliage color, according to the I-70 Coalition, safety officials at the Colorado Department of Transportation are asking drivers to stay alert on local roadways. Recent snowfall at higher elevations, like the Continental Divide and on mountain passes near Summit County, is also contributing to increased calls for defensive driving and precaution.

Colorado’s chain and traction laws went into effect Sept. 1 and require commercial vehicles to carry chains. Restrictions for passenger vehicles can go into effect anytime there is inclement weather. If a passenger traction law goes into effect, vehicles under 16,000 pounds must have four-wheel or all-wheel drive to be compliant and two-wheel drive vehicles must have snow or all-weather tires with a snow/mud designation. All tires must have a depth of 3/16 of an inch to be compliant.

Find more information about defensive driving trainings and other resources at CDOT.gov/safety or at DriveSmartColorado.com.