The driver of a Jeep Cherokee avoided serious bodily injury Wednesday after colliding with a garbage truck on U.S. Highway 550 near the top of Farmington Hill south of Durango.

The crash was reported at 7:05 a.m. in a construction zone near mile marker 16.

The driver of the Jeep was traveling north toward Durango when it crossed the centerline and collided with the trash truck, said Capt. John Trentini, with the Colorado State Patrol.

The driver told law enforcement he was passing on a double-yellow line and didn’t see the oncoming garbage truck, Trentini said.

“We believe speed was involved,” Trentini said.

Neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected.

The Jeep driver was taken to Mercy Hospital with minor injuries, including a large cut on his head and other non-life-threatening injuries.

Traffic was rerouted around the crash scene until about 11 a.m.

The Jeep driver was cited, but the specific citations were not immediately available.

shane@durangoherald.com