A chain reaction of crashes involving six cars on Interstate 25 Friday night shut down northbound and southbound lanes for two hours and sent several people to the hospital with serious injuries.

One car was in the shoulder of the southbound lanes just before 7:25 p.m. when another car pulled behind it to help. That car was struck by a third vehicle, according to the Colorado State Patrol. A southbound pickup truck swerved to miss the collision, rolled through the median and struck a northbound vehicle.

Another southbound vehicle swerved to miss the original crash and hit another southbound vehicle. The initial car that was pulled onto the shoulder was not impacted in any of the crashes.

Between five and seven people were injured, the state patrol said. The driver of the truck was airlifted to Memorial Hospital with serious injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening. All lanes of the interstate were reopen by 9:45 p.m.

View Multiple crashes on I-25 in a larger map

Jasmine Bruce, 10, wrote a welcoming message on one of the school’s new interactive white boards at the Howbert Elementary open house on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE