A crash on Highway 83 in Douglas County, Colorado, left five people dead—including three children—after a stolen Toyota reportedly veered off the road, re-entered northbound lanes and collided head-on with a Ford sedan Monday afternoon. Authorities confirmed the Toyota had been stolen approximately one hour before the crash.
The collision occurred near milepost 40.5 just before 4:40 p.m. The Toyota’s 31-year-old driver from Denver was ejected and died at the scene. The Ford, travelling northbound, was occupied by a 35-year-old man and five children ages 8 to 14 from Colorado Springs; the man and three of the children died at the scene, while the remaining two children were airlifted with life-threatening injuries.
Investigators from the Colorado State Patrol Vehicular Crimes Unit are examining how the stolen vehicle lost control and entered oncoming traffic. The Douglas County Coroner will release the identities of the deceased after notifying next of kin.