Authorities say the Toyota was carjacked in Aurora less than an hour before the head-on collision.
FRANKTOWN, Colo. — Five people died Monday after a stolen Toyota Matrix crossed into oncoming lanes on Highway 83 near Russellville Road and hit a Ford sedan head-on, according to the Colorado State Patrol. The 31-year-old Toyota driver died at the scene; four people in the Ford, including three children, were also killed.
Investigators said the crash unfolded shortly after 4:30 p.m. on the rural stretch south of Denver. The Toyota, reported stolen from Aurora around 3:45 p.m., veered off the right shoulder, swerved back across the roadway, rolled and entered the northbound lane, where it collided with the Ford. Two other juveniles from the Ford were airlifted with life-threatening injuries. The Douglas County Coroner will handle formal identifications, and state troopers are reconstructing the sequence as part of a vehicular crimes investigation. The wreck shut Highway 83 for hours, affecting commuters between Franktown and Colorado Springs and drawing responses from multiple agencies across Douglas County.
The sequence began less than an hour earlier in Aurora, where police said a woman was confronted at the Nine Mile Station parking garage by a man who asked for a ride as she got into her Toyota Matrix. When she refused, the man pulled her from the driver’s seat and drove off, police told investigators. About 20 miles away and roughly 50 minutes later, the Matrix was southbound on Highway 83 near Russellville Road when it went onto the right shoulder, overcorrected and rolled into northbound lanes. A Ford sedan carrying a 35-year-old man and five children from Colorado Springs was heading north and was struck head-on. The Toyota driver, a Denver man, was ejected and died at the scene. State patrol said he was not believed to be wearing a seat belt. Initial radio traffic suggested a nearby pickup truck might have been hit; troopers later determined the truck had stopped short and was not involved.
Relatives of those in the Ford provided names and ages for four of the victims: 35-year-old father Alvin Corado, along with Toretto Corado, 8, Makenlee Corado, 12, and Jase Green, 12. Two teenagers — a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy — were flown to a hospital with critical injuries, authorities said. The Colorado State Patrol described the crash as high-energy and complex, noting the roll sequence before impact. Troopers said seat-belt use among the children is under review. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office managed traffic control while state crash investigators documented debris fields and measured skid and yaw marks across both lanes. “Our family is struggling not only with unimaginable grief but also with the overwhelming financial and medical burdens that have followed,” a relative said in a written statement, adding that surviving children remain hospitalized.
Highway 83 is a two-lane corridor linking northern El Paso County and Douglas County, carrying commuters, school traffic and commercial vehicles between Colorado Springs, Parker and Castle Rock. Records show the corridor has seen repeated serious crashes near Franktown, where speeds increase and passing zones are limited. Monday’s collision happened near Russellville Road, east of Franktown’s small commercial center and north of Palmer Divide ranchland. The Colorado Department of Transportation has studied safety upgrades along the route in recent years, including wider shoulders and turn lanes near intersections. Weather at the time was clear and dry, according to state patrol — investigators did not list road conditions as a factor as of Tuesday. The identities of the Toyota driver and formal cause of death determinations will be issued by the coroner after notifications.
State patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is leading the reconstruction, which typically includes data downloads from the involved vehicles, interviews and toxicology screens. Aurora police are investigating the carjacking reported around 3:45 p.m. at the RTD’s Nine Mile Station garage and are coordinating with Douglas County authorities. Any potential criminal case tied to the carjacking would run through Arapahoe County; any traffic-related charges are moot for the deceased Toyota driver but findings could inform civil proceedings. Officials said the Douglas County Coroner will release autopsy results and identifications when next of kin notifications are complete. Highway 83 reopened late Monday after investigators finished mapping the scene. Agencies said updates would come as lab results and event data recorder downloads are returned in the coming days.
On Tuesday, traffic moved past a dark skid stain at the Russellville Road curve while investigators returned to check measurements. Ranch fencing along the east side of the highway was splintered. A small cluster of balloons and flowers appeared on a fencepost by midday. A Franktown resident who drove through after the closure lifted described a heavy presence of state troopers and deputies. “You could see from the gouge marks how violent it was,” said John Martinez, who commutes to Parker. Near the Nine Mile Station in Aurora, riders filtered through the garage where the carjacking was reported the day before, some pausing at the first-level entrance where police say the confrontation began.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the two hospitalized teenagers remained in critical condition and the crash reconstruction continued. Investigators plan to release additional findings once toxicology and data downloads are complete, with the next update expected later this week. Formal identifications from the coroner are pending. Highway safety analysts will review whether engineering changes are warranted along the corridor, based on the final report and crash history.
Author note: Last updated November 25, 2025.