One person died and eight other people, including five minors and three adults, were taken to the hospital Thursday morning after a crash on eastbound Interstate 70, according to Colorado State Patrol (CSP).Initial reporting fro m the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office was that nine people were injured.The multi-vehicle crash initially happened around 8:53 a.m. Thursday near Herman Gulch on the eastbound side of the highway. Colorado State patrol said a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) snow plow and a sprinter van carrying a hockey team from California collided, in addition to two other cars. After the vehicles first crashed, they then crossed into westbound lanes, Fulton said.There were 10 total people in the sprinter van, according to CSP. The driver of the sprinter van was declared dead at the scene of the crash. The Clear Creak County Coroner's Office will release the identity of the driver once family is notified. One dead, 8 others hurt including minors in I-70 crash near Eisenhower TunnelSeven of the van's passengers were taken to an area hospital by ground ambulance, CSP said. Sergeant Ivan Alvarado with CSP said the agency does not know the extent of their injuries. One of the minors has critical injuries, according to CSP, and was taken a trauma center in a medical helicopter.Flight for Life Colorado landed at the ball fields in Idaho Springs to meet an ambulance from the crash scene and transport the minor, Jenny Fulton with the Clear Creek Sheriff's Office said. An adult man who was also a passenger in the van refused to go to a hospital.The people in the two other vehicles involved in the crash were not injured and remained at the scene, according to CSP.Eastbound traffic is stopped at Silverthorne and drivers are being turned around at the Eisenhower Tunnel, the sheriff's office said. Westbound I-70 only had one lane open initially, causing a backup to Silver Plume. However, all lanes have since reopened, according to CDOT.The sheriff's office anticipated eastbound I-70 would remain closed for an extended period of time, and did not have an estimated time for it to reopen. The Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office recommended drivers find an alternative route. However, emergency officials at the scene of the crash are discouraging the use of Loveland Pass due to extreme weather conditions. Since eastbound I-70 closed in Silverthorne, Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber said the only detour is south on Highway 9 through Breckenridge to Fairplay. Then drivers can take Highway 285 east back onto C-470 and west on C-470 back to I-70 in Morrison and Golden.Luber advised that south of Breckenridge, Highway 9 has several switchbacks and can be trickier to navigate, especially for large vehicles. The largest of semitrucks may want to wait it out, Luber suggested.CSP is leading the crash investigation. Drivers can check for the latest traffic delays or roadway closures here. ...read more read less