Another car, the second in two weeks, went off Red Mountain Pass on U.S. Highway 550 between Silverton and Ouray on Wednesday night.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gary Cutler said a car went off the road around 5:55 p.m. at mile marker 91, near the Bear Creek tunnel, about a mile south of Ouray.
The vehicle went 130 feet off the embankment, he said. The police report was unclear about how many times the vehicle rolled, but it came to a rest upside down.
How the crash was reported was also unclear. The road was closed as rescue crews arrived at the scene. The first occupant in the vehicle was rescued at 7:47 p.m. and the second at 8 p.m., after spending nearly two hours in freezing temperatures in the crashed car.
Crews were able to open a single-lane of traffic on Highway 550 at 8 p.m., Cutler said, and fully reopen at 8:20 p.m.
The driver was identified as 63-year-old Darrell Foster of Superior, Arizona, which is about 65 miles east of Phoenix. The extent of his injuries was unknown, but he was transported to Montrose Memorial Hospital. Foster was cited, but Cutler said the police report did not make clear on what charge.
The passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt, suffered serious bodily injury and was also transported to Montrose Memorial Hospital, Cutler said. The police report did not list the passenger’s name.
Highway 550 was closed at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to recover the vehicle. Cutler did not know the make of the car.
Cutler also said the police report did not indicate any possible causes of the crash.
Wednesday’s incident marks the second crash on Red Mountain Pass this month.
On Dec. 12, a Silverton man went off the notoriously dangerous section of mountainous road, which is narrow and has a steep drop-off to one side. The man was discovered dead Dec. 19. At the time of the crash, the high mountain pass was experiencing significant snowfall.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
