A youth hockey team’s trip turned tragic in Colorado, leaving one player’s father dead and several others hospitalized. The incident has left the girls from a Southern California team shaken, prompting parents to struggle with how to explain the situation to their children as the community in Santa Clarita grapples with the aftermath.
Serge Zarubin, a father of one of the players, shared his daughter’s distress, saying, “It’s hard for adults. It’s even harder for children.” Another parent, Kelly Lytle, emphasized the impact, reflecting on the families affected: “It’s really disheartening to think about those families.”
The accident took place early Thursday morning on a snow-covered stretch of Interstate 70 in Clear Creek County, located about 55 miles west of Denver, based on reports from CPR News and NBC.
A Sprinter van, carrying the Santa Clarita Lady Flyers under-12 team, collided head-on with a snowplow belonging to the Colorado Department of Transportation while en route to a hockey tournament in Denver. The force of the crash was enormous, with snowplow blades tearing off and the van being pushed off the road. Sadly, the driver, the father of one of the team members, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reports indicate that eight of the ten individuals in the van sustained injuries.
Out of the three adults hospitalized, two are in critical condition, while the remaining one is stable. Additionally, one young player was airlifted to a trauma center in critical condition, while the four other injured children have been released from the hospital.
According to KTLA, the van had been rented by several families to transport their daughters to the tournament.
Prescott Littlefield, the president of the Santa Clarita Flyers, expressed his shock, saying, “This is the kind of story you hear on the news, but it’s not one you ever want to experience.” He described the emotional toll it took on him.
In the wake of the accident, the hockey club requested privacy and prayers through an Instagram statement, asking for support for their “hockey family” as they cope with the tragedy.
