U.S. Highway 160 was closed for more than an hour Thursday west of Gem Village for a two-car crash involving a La Plata County Sheriff’s deputy patrol vehicle.
The crash occurred at 7:26 a.m. near County Road 223, between mile markers 98 and 99, said Capt. Adrian Driscoll with the Colorado State Patrol.
Megan Beck, 32, of Durango was driving a 2001 Pontiac west when she crossed the center line and ran head-on into the patrol vehicle of a sheriff’s deputy, Driscoll said.
Road conditions were icy and slushy at the time, and Beck’s tires were “pretty bald,” Driscoll said. She also may have been driving too fast for conditions, he said.
She was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center before being transfered to a Denver hospital. Her condition and which hospital in Denver she was transported to were not immediately available Thursday. However, Driscoll said she was not in critical condition when she was transported.
Beck ran into a Chevy Tahoe driven by Deputy Jeremiah Lee with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy was seen walking around after the crash and was treated and released from Mercy.
The highway reopened shortly after 9 a.m.
shane@durangoherald.com
