A Fountain Valley High School teacher was among the three people killed in a two-car head-on collision on I-25 early Saturday morning.

The Colorado State Patrol identified the two other people involved in the crash as Binu George, 38, of Pueblo West and Aleysa George, 36, also of Pueblo West.

Michael Russell was driving a 2001 Toyota SUV north in the southbound lanes of I-25 when he struck a  2005 Acura SUV driven by Binu George head on, troopers said. Aleysa George was a passenger in the Acura.

All three were pronounced dead at the scene of the 1 a.m. crash south of Colorado Springs.

A trooper was enroute to the area after receiving several calls about a car headed the wrong way on the highway. The crash had occurred when the trooper arrived, the patrol said.

The crash shut down the southbound lanes near the Fountain exit for about five hours. The highway reopened about 6 a.m.

Russell, 36, joined the faculty two months ago as the new Spanish teacher and junior varsity soccer coach, according to the school’s website, which announced his death. He moved with his wife and daughters from Hawai’i to Colorado, according to the Fountain Valley school’s Facebook page.

Russell, who lived on campus with his family, spent the 2007-2008 school year in Peru on a Fullbright fellowship teaching exchange.

The State Patrol is investigating the crash.

Michael Russell Photo by