Two unrelated crashes occurred within about 20 minutes and 150 yards of each other Friday night on U.S. Highway 491 about 4 miles north of Cortez.
A minivan hit a deer at 5:30 p.m., according to Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Blake White, a state spokesman, and at 5:50 p.m. a white Ford F-150 pickup rear-ended or T-boned an SUV at the intersection of County Road N.
A portion of U.S. Highway 491 was briefly closed after the two-vehicle crash. The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office helped direct traffic until about 6:40 p.m., White said. Colorado State Patrol, Southwest EMS and Lewis-Arriola Fire Protection District responded to the scene.
Lewis-Arriola Fire Protection District Chief George Deavers said there was initial confusion among responders because the two crashes occurred about 150 yards apart.
“They were completely unrelated,” Deavers said. “Just kind of a coincidence to have two of them right there.”
He said it appeared the driver of the SUV was attempting to turn onto County Road N and the driver of the pickup rear-ended him.
White said Saturday morning that he did not have any information on possible charges in the crash. No one was injured, and both drivers were walking around on scene and speaking to law enforcement.
sdolan@the-journal.com
