A state trooper takes measurements Wednesday at an accident scene at Montezuma County Road EE and U.S. Highway 491. One person was taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital after the SUV headed north on U.S. Highway 491 swerved across the center line and hit a southbound flatbed truck. The driver of the SUV was killed.

Sam Green/Cortez Journal

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A state trooper takes measurements Wednesday at an accident scene at Montezuma County Road EE and U.S. Highway 491. One person was taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital after the SUV headed north on U.S. Highway 491 swerved across the center line and hit a southbound flatbed truck. The driver of the SUV was killed.

Sam Green/Cortez Journal

The driver of this flatbed truck was transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital after a black SUV headed north on U.S. Highway 491 swerved across the center line and hit the southbound truck. The driver of the SUV was killed.

Sam Green/Cortez Journal

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The driver of this flatbed truck was transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital after a black SUV headed north on U.S. Highway 491 swerved across the center line and hit the southbound truck. The driver of the SUV was killed.

Sam Green/Cortez Journal

Pleasant View firefighters and Colorado State patrolmen clear the scene of a fatal crash Wednesday on U.S. Highway 491 and Road EE north of Pleasant View.

Sam Green/Cortez Journal

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Pleasant View firefighters and Colorado State patrolmen clear the scene of a fatal crash Wednesday on U.S. Highway 491 and Road EE north of Pleasant View.

Sam Green/Cortez Journal

One person died Wednesday morning in a collision on U.S. Highway 491 north of Pleasant View.

The driver of a 2003 Ford Escape was pronounced dead on the scene after the northbound SUV crossed the center line about 10:19 a.m. and collided with a southbound 2012 Dodge Ram four-door flatbed pickup.

The driver of the Dodge Ram was transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital with unknown injuries.

There were no passengers in either vehicle.

“Witnesses say (the Ford Escape) abruptly swerved into the southbound lane,” said Trooper Jonathan Silver, of the Colorado State Patrol, which investigated the collision.

Witnesses said the driver of the Dodge Ram tried to avoid the collision, and it wasn’t known why the Ford Escape crossed into the other lane.

Silver said the cause of the accident is under investigation.

The highway was closed for three hours, and traffic was rerouted on county roads during the investigation.

The names of those involved in the crash have not been released by the Colorado State Patrol, pending notification of next of kin.