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Officials identify seven Canadians in fiery I-25 crash

State Patrol says investigation into accident ongoing

Published November 28, 2008 at 6:36 p.m.

The seven people killed in a fiery crash off Interstate 25 early Thanksgiving morning were Canadians, and all but one appear to be from the same family, according to the Larimer County coroner's office, which identified the victims Friday.

The youngest was 21 months old.

The dead are Jacob Rempel Sr., 42, Susana Rempel, 40, and Jacob Rempel Jr., 16 - all of Vauxhall, Alberta - Susana Rempel, 30, Johan Rempel, 3 and Heinrich Rempel, 21 months, of Willingdom, Alberta. Joseph Dick, 33, was from Taber, Alberta.

State Trooper David Hall said it is unclear who was driving and that the crash was still being investigated.

"We have ruled out weather as a factor," he said. "Everything else is wide open."

The seven died after their 1992 Chevy Suburban plunged off I-25, hit the road below, Colorado 60 West, and burst into flames.

The Suburban was registered to a driver from Alberta, and that's where the painful task of identifying the victims began, according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Wayne Oaks.

Authorities in Colorado were working with Canadian officials to help with the identifications - a task made more difficult by how badly the victims were burned.

The crash happened at mile marker 252 about 4:30 a.m., when the Suburban veered into the center divider for nearly the length of a football field before flying off the overpass and crashing onto Colorado 60 West below.

The Suburban immediately burst into flames, authorities said.

Apparently no other motorists saw the car leave the road, but 911 operators began receiving calls right after the accident because "the flames were so high the people on I-25 could see them," Mares said.

A man with a broken rib was headed to a hospital about 4:30 a.m. and saw the wreckage along with his friend, Delores Frazza.

The Coloradoan of Fort Collins reported that Frazza and Chris Minkel pulled off the freeway and saw the orange glow of the burning car.

The pair told The Coloradoan that they were one of those who called 911.

"I did not see any movement at that point," Minkel was quoted as saying. "I was hoping there was only one person in the car."

The Johnstown Fire Protection District responded along with the State Patrol.

The Larimer County Coroner's Office was called shortly after.

Broken concrete covered the area, and the asphalt was burned.

The SUV hit a concrete barrier that was not part of the support system of the underpass, according to officials from the State Patrol.

None of the structural supports of the underpass were damaged, and I-25 remained open during the investigation.

Hall said the sport utility vehicle was towed by a Fort Collins towing company and is being held while the investigation continued.

Frazza told The Coloradoan that Minkel came back after his trip to the hospital to set up a small roadside memorial for the victims.

"It helped him a little bit," Frazza said.

"It hasn't helped him a lot yet, but it's just the frustration of the inability to do anything."

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