Three people died in a rollover in Ouray County on Monday during a commercial Jeep tour, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The crash occurred between 11 a.m. and noon on County Road 361, also known as the Camp Bird Road, during a tour by Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours of Ouray, said Sgt. Nathan Lyons. No other vehicle was involved.
According to the State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis, a 72-year-old man from Ouray was driving a 2022 Jeep Gladiator north toward Ouray with two female passengers from Arizona, one age 60 and one age 28.
The driver drifted off the right edge of the road 3.1 miles from Ouray and went off a cliff.
After hitting the ground, the Jeep rolled hundreds of feet down a rocky embankment and came to rest on its roof facing south near the bank of Canyon Creek.
During the rollover, the driver was ejected and came to rest along the rocky embankment, the State Patrol said. The two female occupants remained inside the vehicle. All three occupants died in the crash.
The cause is under investigation, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Colorado State Patrol.
The driver was on a booked tour as an employee of Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours, Lyons said Tuesday.
Alcohol, drugs, weather and speed were not suspected factors, Lewis said. The two passengers were wearing seat belts, and whether the driver was is unknown, Lewis said.
The names of the victims were not released pending notification of family members.
County Road 361 was closed Monday afternoon as a result of the crash to allow for emergency responders and the crash investigation, according to the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office.
It reopened at 8:51 p.m., then closed again at 6 a.m. Tuesday for vehicle recovery. It was reopened at 4:36 p.m. Tuesday.
A comment from Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours was not available Tuesday.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
