A fatal accident occurred on Monday morning in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, claiming the life of a 23-year-old truck driver from New York. The young man was driving a semi-truck loaded with canned beverages when he lost control of the vehicle on Wolf Creek Pass, a high-altitude route on the Continental Divide. The truck was reportedly speeding when it crashed through the left-hand guardrail and plummeted over the edge of the mountain pass.
The impact of the crash caused the semi-truck to splinter, with the trailer striking a barrier wall on the right side and splitting open. The contents of the trailer spilled across the road before the entire vehicle sailed over the edge. The driver was ejected from the cab during the crash and was found dead at the scene.
The crash site was described as a “large debris scene” that extended from the road down the mountainside. Investigators had difficulty locating the driver due to the extensive debris field. The driver’s identity has not yet been released.
According to investigators, the driver failed to use a runaway truck ramp located approximately a mile and a half up from US Highway 160, where the crash occurred. Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from the truck’s brakes as it sped down the highway, suggesting that the vehicle was traveling at an excessive speed.
Wolf Creek Pass is known for its dangerous curves and steep 7% downhill grade on the west side. Commercial trucks are required to travel at a maximum speed of 25 mph when descending the mountain pass, which spans eight miles from the summit to the base.
Between 2015 and 2019, there were 47 semi-truck crashes on the west side of the mountain pass, resulting in three fatalities. The Colorado Department of Transportation noted that most of these crashes occurred at the switchback curve near the Wolf Creek scenic outlook area.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.