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Semi rollover closed 160 for more than three hours

Hay trailer rolled, slid 450 feet, then the driver walked away

A semi-rollover on U.S. Highway 160 west of Durango closed the highway in both directions just before 7 p.m. Friday, and it remained closed until about 10:30 p.m.

There were no other vehicles involved in the incident, according to Colorado State Patrol Public Information Officer Josh Lewis.

Trooper Uriah Talbot with the Colorado State Patrol said the male driver, who was alone in the truck, had been riding his brakes coming down Hesperus Hill. When they failed, his speed increased. The driver took a curve wide because of his excessive speed, Trooper Charlie Jones said, and when he overcorrected, the semi rolled and slid more than 450 feet, sliding on the guardrail for about 83 feet.

Witnesses reported the semi’s brakes were smoking before the rollover, Durango Fire and Rescue Authority Battalion Chief Randy Black said.

“They were still smoking when we got on the scene,” he said.

“It’s blocking several lanes,” Capt. Adrian Driscoll of the Colorado State Patrol said at 6:50 p.m. Friday. “We had to bring in a large wrecker.”

The accident occurred about ¼-mile west of Mile Marker 78, east of Lake Durango.

At 8:45 p.m. Friday, Driscoll said they discovered the semi was leaking diesel fuel, so DFRA had to patch the tank before the wrecker could lift it.

“About 10 gallons of diesel fuel leaked out, so Durango Fire (had) some cleanup to do, but it (was) not a big hazardous-material situation,” Driscoll said.

At 9:40 p.m. Friday, Nancy Shanks, communications manager from the Colorado Department of Transportation, said all the hay that spilled from the semi had been pushed off the road. It is up to the carrier or its insurance company to remove any cargo, she said.

Eastbound traffic briefly was detoured south through Hesperus on Colorado Highway 140 and across on Wildcat Canyon Road (County Road 141). Drivers headed west were instructed to follow the same route in the opposite direction.

At about 10:30 p.m. Friday, after one lane of the highway was opened, CSP requested that CDOT spread some sand on the highway as the remaining fuel on the road was creating slick conditions.

Black said the driver had a leg injury, but he did not need to be transported to Mercy Regional Medical Center.

“He was wearing a seatbelt, so he walked away,” Jones said.

The truck, which is licensed out of New Mexico, was carrying bales of hay, many of which were down in the ditch and scattered on the road.

The driver was cited for careless driving because he was riding his brakes, Talbot said.

abutler@durangoherald.com



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