A single-vehicle crash on Mancos Hill Monday afternoon injured the driver and temporarily closed U.S. Highway 160, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
A New Mexico woman, age 29, was driving a Hyundai about 1 p.m. when it left the roadway at mile marker 62 and crashed 150 feet down an embankment, according to a preliminary report, said Master Trooper Gary Cutler.
“It was a challenging recovery,” he said.
The woman was extricated from the vehicle and taken by helicopter to Mercy Medical Center in Durango.
Alcohol was found in the vehicle, and is being investigated as a possible factor in the crash, Cutler said.
The highway was closed to accommodate rescue crews and the helicopter, which left the scene with the patient at 2:20 p.m. The highway reopened at 3 p.m.
The extent of the woman’s injuries was not available. The preliminary report did not indicate direction of travel, and the incident remains under investigation by the Colorado State Patrol.
Last week at the same location — mile marker 62 — a married couple from Roswell, New Mexico was found dead in a vehicle parked on the shoulder of U.S. 160.
The driver, identified as Eric Richard Allen, 56, died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Yong C. Allen, 56, also was found dead, although the cause of death was unknown, Nowlin said. She had no obvious trauma.
The couple were found in a blue and tan Ford Expedition facing east on the south shoulder of U.S. 160 about 100 feet west of the La Plata County line. The SUV had New Mexico license plates.
The vehicle had been parked there since June 26, Nowlin said. It was not damaged and had not been in a crash.
A local driver noticed the vehicle had been there for a while and contacted law enforcement at 5:15 p.m. June 30.
The case is being investigated by the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.
