A 37-year-old Florida man was killed Saturday evening after his car went off the road on Red Mountain Pass.
The Colorado State Patrol will be retrieving the 2015 Hyundai sedan Friday morning.
Traffic may be down to one lane or even closed for about an hour around 10 a.m.
The accident occurred at about 5:55 p.m. near mile marker 88, about three miles south of Ouray.
“He was eastbound and failed to negotiate a right-hand curve,” said State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis, a spokesman for the agency. “Apparently, he went off the road and off a cliff, rolling several times.”
The driver was ejected, he said.
“No drugs or alcohol is suspected,” Lewis said, “and no excessive speed is suspected either. I’m not quite sure what happened there.”
Ouray County Coroner Colleen Hollenbeck confirmed no alcohol or drugs are suspected. The man’s next of kin all live in China, she said, and she is still confirming his identity with them before his name is released.
“That’s the hardest place to retrieve a vehicle,” Hollenbeck said about the State Patrol’s task for Friday morning.
More information about delays and the potential closure will be available Friday.
The Colorado Department of Transportation will post details on www.cotrip.org under “Travel Alerts.”
abutler@durangoherald.com