A Durango man died after his motorcycle went off an embankment last week in the Hermosa Creek area northwest of town.
Eugene Montano, 69, apparently lost control of his motorcycle on loose gravel and drove off a 10- to 12-foot embankment Sept. 24 on Hotel Draw Road, in a remote area of Scotch Creek and the Dolores-La Plata County line, said Dolores County Coroner Aaron Hankins.
“There was blunt force trauma to the chest, and he succumbed to his injuries as a result of the motorcycle accident,” Hankins said.
Durango Fire Protection District Chief Randy Black said the call came in at 2:07 p.m. Sept. 24 from Montano’s partner, who rode down Hermosa Park Road to find cell service, which ended up being near Purgatory Resort.
“We were notified after the decedent had already been removed from the scene, after they realized what county it was,” Hankins said.
La Plata County Search and Rescue President Ron Corkish said that even though the call came from La Plata County, the crash occurred in Dolores County, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Dolores County Sheriff’s Office and coroner. The Durango Fire Protection District, La Plata County Search and Rescue, and La Plata County Sheriff’s Office responded and provided mutual aid.
“(The caller) rode his bike to where he could get cellphone service, and at that point, he was in La Plata County,” Corkish said. “When we showed up and got the correct coordinates and went back to where the subject was, it was actually in Dolores County, and so the dispatchers here transferred the call to to them.”
Montano’s obituary in The Durango Herald said he loved motorcycles and moved to Durango with his wife, Holly Duckworth.
“(Montano) was an aircraft and powerplant mechanic,” the obituary said. “Upon retirement he moved to Durango where his passion of motorcycle touring and dirt bike exploring continued, along with his new fondness for pickleball.”
He is survived by his wife, sister, two children and one granddaughter.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
