An eighth person has died following Friday afternoon’s head-on crash on Colorado’s Eastern Plains, the Colorado State Patrol says.
The wreck happened on U.S. 40 between Hugo and Kit Carson at about 4:30 p.m.
A Ford F-150 pickup truck hauling a boat and heading westbound on the highway was passing a semi-trailer in the eastbound lanes when it collided head-on with a Chevrolet Silverado.
On Monday, the State Patrol identified the victims.
Jian Zhong, a 45-year-old Aurora man, was driving the F-150. Also in the pickup were 45-year-old Cathy Zhong, 9-year-old Myoli Zhong and 53-year-old Ren Juntan.
The Chevrolet was driven by Sammy Henry, a 59-year-old man from Liberal, Kansas. His passengers were 36-year-old Joshua Henry of Sterling and 8-year-old Maki Henry. Messiah Henry was also in the Chevrolet and died in the crash, but the State Patrol says it’s unclear where he was from or how old he was.
Seven people were initially said to have died in the crash while an eighth was flown to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Authorities say that eighth person died on Sunday.
The State Patrol says the crash remains under investigation.