One man was killed when a hay truck rolled over west of Durango on U.S. Highway 160 near Durango West I.
Law enforcement and emergency services responded to the crash about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Ben Stuever said the deceased was a man in his late 20s to early 30s. The man, the driver and sole occupant, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the cab. State Patrol Capt. Adrian Driscoll said the man was from Texas.
The driver was eastbound and going “too fast for conditions,” and when he went around the corner just before the entrance to Durango West I, the cab and trailer rolled a quarter turn to the right before the cab went through the guardrail.
His brother was driving a semitrailer ahead of him. Witnesses told Stuever the brakes on both trucks were smoking.
The trailer dumped its hay load, but righted itself on its wheels.
Because fuel leaked, the state patrol’s hazardous materials team was on scene. The tow trucks arrived by 7:15 p.m., but had to wait until the fuels were cleaned, and the team had assured no further leakage would occur.
Traffic was routed through the area in alternating lanes, Driscoll said at about 7:15 p.m. Eastbound traffic was diverted down La Plata Highway (Colorado Highway 140) at Hesperus south to Wildcat Canyon Road (County Road 141) and back to U.S. Highway 160.
At 8:30 p.m., Driscoll said CDOT was cleaning the hay off the road and was preparing to close the road. He anticipated the road would reopen in full by 11 p.m. Wednesday.
At about 5:35 p.m., a vehicle speeding through the area almost caused a second accident, so additional traffic control was requested.
The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, Durango Fire Protection District and Durango Police Department were also on the scene.
abutler@durangoherald.com
This story was changed to correct the spelling and rank of Sgt. Ben Stuever, and clarify that Durango West I is west of Durango.
