A Durango woman who died in a single-car crash Wednesday night north of Durango was identified Thursday as Tiffany Chanslor, 47, according to Colorado State Patrol.
Chanslor was driving north on East Animas Road (County Road 250) about 8:45 p.m. when her 2003 Subaru Outback crossed the centerline and went off the left side of the road, said Capt. Adrian Driscoll of the State Patrol.
The vehicle rolled 2½ times before landing upside down and partially submerged in an irrigation ditch, just south of Trimble Lane (County Road 252).
Authorities suspect Chanslor was driving too fast and was under the influence of alcohol, Driscoll said.
The Durango Police Department posted to its Facebook page Thursday morning that one of its officers “jumped in the freezing water to assist firefighters in extracting the female occupant.”
“After being pulled ashore, Cpl. Cygan performed CPR on the female until paramedics were able to take over and transport her to Mercy Regional Medical Center,” the post said.
Driscoll said Chanslor died around 3 a.m. Thursday at Mercy.
The road was not icy, and no other road conditions are considered factors in the crash, he said.
La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith said authorities are awaiting the results of a toxicology test to make a final determination about the cause of death; Chanslor had blunt-force trauma to the chest.
No other people or vehicles were involved in the crash.
Lori Large, who lives near the crash site on County Road 250, said this is the sixth accident in the area since she and her family moved to the area in 1997. The accidents have left two people dead and one paralyzed.
Large said a blind curve next to a steep drop-off makes the section of the road particularly dangerous.
“We’ve been wanting them to install a railing up there because it’s such a blind curve,” she said.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
