A three-car crash Friday evening on Colorado Highway 145 killed one man, injured two people and closed the highway for hours, according to the Colorado State Patrol and emergency responders.
The driver of a red Honda Civic, Brandon Davis, 21, of Farmington, died at the scene, said Trooper Josh Lewis.
The crash was reported Friday at 6:42 p.m. at mile marker 18 northeast of Dolores.
Lewis said that according to the preliminary report, Davis was southbound when he traveled into the northbound lane and collided head-on with a Chevy SUV hauling a camper trailer. A southbound Nissan SUV then collided with the rear of the Civic.
The Civic landed off the west side of the highway. The Chevy SUV was thrown off the east side and rolled over on its passenger side on the edge of the Dolores River.
A passerby helped get the occupants out of the Chevy, said Chief Mike Zion of the Dolores Volunteer Fire Department.
The male driver and two boys, ages 6 and 13, were transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez, Lewis said.
One of the boys was then airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Denver, Zion said.
The driver and passenger of the Nissan were not injured, the State Patrol report said.
Drugs, alcohol and excessive speed were not suspected in the crash, Lewis said. Investigators have not yet determined why Davis went into the oncoming lane.
Lewis said all vehicle occupants wore seat belts or were properly strapped into child seats.
Zion said the highway was closed to traffic for several hours after the crash.
After about two hours, backed-up traffic was allowed past the scene of the crash. But the highway was closed again for another two hours to allow the body to be recovered and the scene investigated. It reopened about midnight.
Multiple agencies responded, including the Dolores Volunteer Protection District, Colorado State Patrol, Southwest Health System ambulance and Colorado Department of Transportation.
