Seven people were injured Monday morning when a sports utility vehicle ran a red light in Denver.
Three people remain hospitalized — two in an intensive care unit — after the crash, which occurred at Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue around 2:30 a.m., police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
The 1993 Ford Explorer, driven by a 23-year-old woman, was speeding as it traveled eastbound on Colfax and blew through the light, hitting a 2014 Ford Focus going south on Speer, said Lt. Robert Rock of the Denver police traffic investigation unit.
The Explorer rolled onto its side, and the Focus, which was driven by a 28-year-old woman, slammed into a light pole, Rock said.
Police plan to charge the Explorer’s driver with vehicular assault once she is released from the hospital, Rock said.
Investigators are searching for the driver of a third vehicle that witnesses saw speeding along Colfax with the Explorer, Rock said. Police do not believe the vehicles were racing but that the drivers had been involved in some type of altercation before the wreck. He did not have more details on what would have led to an altercation between the drivers.
A Denver Post video taken at the scene shortly after the accident shows two wrecked sports utility vehicles being hauled away on flatbed trucks.
Emergency workers had to extricate a victim from one of the vehicles, Det. Mary McIver said.
Police are investigating to determine if alcohol was involved in the crash.
The intersection was closed until shortly before 6 a.m. when the crash was cleaned up and the streets were reopened.
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
Photojournalist Steve Nehf contributed to this report.