'Bomb cyclone' blasts Colorado and leaves hundreds stranded in cars

About 1,100 motorists were stranded in Colorado as a ferocious winter storm -- a "bomb cyclone" -- unleashed hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions in parts of the central United States. "We are in full saving lives mode," said Ryan Parsell, a spokesman for El Paso County, about the ongoing rescues. "This isn't your average Colorado storm." The weather has been so severe in the state that law enforcement officers had to abandon their vehicles and get shelter themselves instead of responding to the high volume of motor vehicle accidents, officials said. "We are at the point where we are rescuing rescuers out there," said Elbert County Manager Sam Albrecht. On Wednesday, 100 vehicles were involved in an accident on Interstate 25 near Wellington, Colorado, according to Wellington Fire Protection. There were no fatalities, according to the fire department's Facebook page, but there were injuries ranging from minor to serious and emergency responders came from both Colorado and Wyoming. In Weld County, north of Denver, State Patrol Cpl. Daniel Groves, 52, was struck by a car Wednesday morning while assisting a motorist whose car slid off Interstate 76, according to the state police. Groves, on the job since 2007, was declared dead at a hospital. High speed in poor driving conditions was being investigated as a possible factor, the patrol said. No charges had been filed.