The 42-year-old driver who died after plummeting off Red Mountain Pass last month had nearly 40 times the legal limit of THC in his system, according to an autopsy.
Louis Michael, a Farmington resident and driver of the Honda Civic, along with 79-year-old passenger Leoba Valdez of Aztec, died from blunt-force injuries, according to the Ouray County coroner’s report.
A third passenger, a juvenile girl, was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. Her condition was unavailable.
According to the report, Micheal had more than 190 nanograms per milliliter of Delta 9 THC in his blood at the time of his death – 38.4 times the legal limit.
The incident occurred at 7:25 a.m. Aug. 5 near mile marker 88, north of the Red Mountain Pass summit. According to Colorado State Patrol, Micheal was attempting to turn around on a narrow cliffside when the rear tires went over the edge, causing the vehicle to roll 320 feet down the mountainside and into the canyon bed. The Honda Civic landed in the river on its roof.
The ensuing four-hour rescue involved members of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team rappelling down the cliffside to recover the lone survivor and the bodies of Michael and Valdez.
Red Mountain Pass was closed to traffic for more than 18 hours during the rescue and retrieval operation.
Recent data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that nearly 85% of cannabis users smoke, eat, vape or drink marijuana within eight hours of getting behind the wheel, and 53% drive within one hour or less of consumption.
“Even in the states where cannabis is medically and recreationally legal, it remains illegal for drivers to get behind the wheel after consuming the drug, yet there is no standard method for law enforcement agencies to identify or test marijuana impairment,” CDOT said in a news release.
Alcohol impairment generally leads to overconfidence behind the wheel, whereas marijuana use often does the opposite, possibly causing drivers to drive overly cautiously or slowly as a result of anxiety and paranoia, the release said.
“Both types of impairment can affect judgment, coordination and reaction time, which increases the risk of a crash,” the release said.
epond@durangoherald.com
