Boy, 12, killed after truck crashes into river in Colorado

Boy stuck between boulder and vehicle and died by the time he was pulled out

A 12-year-old boy died after he was trapped in a truck that went off the road into a river in Colorado on Saturday, local law enforcement said in a statement.

The vehicle was submerged in Clear Creek by the time deputies arrived at the crash site at Empire Junction on Interstate 70 around 9pm, Clear Creek County Sheriff’s office said.

The officials found two women with cuts on their faces and a man screaming for help running up to the embankment of the river.

They soon learned that a 12-year-old boy was trapped inside the submerged vehicle, with several deputies, officers from Idaho Springs and Georgetown police and civilians jumping into the water to rescue the minor.

The boy, who has not been named, was stuck between a boulder and the vehicle, said the official statement. The team responding to the scene was able to lift the vehicle enough to pull the boy out, but he could not be saved even with resuscitation attempts. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

The cause of the crash is yet to be determined.

The victim’s identity and the exact cause of his death are expected to be released soon.

Earlier on Saturday, two people were killed after a Washington State Patrol trooper crashed into their car near Seattle. While the trooper suffered injuries, Washington residents Charles Ferree, 72, and Deolia Blandford, 49, were killed in the accident.

The trooper, not officially named, was driving on US 101 with emergency lights and sirens on when it T-boned a Toyota Prius at an intersection, said Matt Colbenson, a spokesperson for Mason County Sheriff’s office. “The trooper was heading to another call in the area, responding with lights and siren, and the other vehicle pulled onto the highway,” he added. "Unfortunately the other vehicle that was in that collision, the two occupants were pronounced dead on scene,” he told ABC affiliate Komo News.

Washington State Patrol released a brief statement Saturday about the crash and declined to comment, citing the agency’s own involvement in the case.

Additional reporting by agencies