DOLORES – A head-on collision on Colorado Highway 145 has left two people dead and two others hospitalized.
Authorities had reported one death just after Monday’s accident, which occurred just southwest of Dolores near the Skyline Gas Station.
Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Ben Steger said the accident occurred at about 1:55 p.m. when a silver Ford F-150, driven by 42-year old Darrell Hackett of Cortez and traveling north toward Dolores, swerved across the double-yellow line and struck a silver Chevrolet truck traveling south.
Hackett and 32-year-old passenger Sky McLure of Cortez were killed. Steger said the F-150 briefly left the ground before spinning 180 degrees and coming to a rest.
The Chevrolet, driven by Darrell Hall of Ontario, Calif., and pulling a large fifth-wheel camping trailer, swerved to avoid a collision. Upon impact, the vehicle flew off the road, eventually coming to rest upside down on the side of a nearby embankment. The fifth-wheel camping trailer, which disconnected from the truck sometime after the collision, came to rest on its side nearby.
Hall, along with passenger Gail Hall, were transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation with speed and substance abuse being considered as possible contributing factors.
At least four agencies arrived at the scene, including the Colorado State Patrol, the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Dolores Fire Department.
imaclaren@cortezjournal.com
