A Pagosa Springs man is still in critical condition at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington after an accident that happened July 17.

Karl W. “Moose” Hujus, 23, was injured when he was riding his Yamaha 650 motorcycle eastbound on U.S. Highway 160 about 3½ miles east of Bayfield to pick up his girlfriend to attend church services. According to the Colorado State Patrol accident blotter, Jack Winchester, 87, was driving his Subaru Impreza westbound with his wife, Marie Winchester, 82, as a passenger.

Winchester turned left onto Wagon Wheel Lane in front of Hujus’ motorcycle at about 9:45 a.m., and Hujus hit the passenger side of the Subaru.

Witnesses told the Pine River Times that Hujus flew over the top of the Winchesters’ vehicle, hit the pavement and somersaulted several times, eventually coming to rest about 55 feet down the road. The force of the impact tore off his helmet and boots.

Denise Hess, the Times’ advertising manager, was one of the first to arrive on the scene. A former emergency medical technician, she and a nurse from Mercy Regional Medical Center tended to the victim. A passing anesthesiologist helped clear and maintain an airway, while other passers-by directed traffic.

The nurse knew Hujus, who works for the town of Pagosa Springs.

“Only moments prior, we were all nameless strangers,” Hess wrote in a piece in the Pine River Times, “on our way to varying destinations, and within seconds, with very few words, we were a team.”

After being airlifted to Mercy, Hujus was transferred to San Juan Regional Medical Center, where he was still listed in critical condition Monday.

Highway 160 was closed for about an hour after the accident.

On Tuesday, Trooper Nathaniel Reid with the State Patrol said charges against Jack Winchester are still pending.

abutler@durangoherald.com