A 9-year-old boy died earlier this month after riding a child’s motorcycle into a road south of Durango and colliding with a passing vehicle, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
Caleb Conrad Stewart suffered multiple injuries and died shortly after lifesaving efforts proved unsuccessful, said La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith.
His parents are Darren and Heidi Wells Stewart, according to an obituary.
The crash was reported at 3:04 p.m. Sept. 15 on County Road 302, about 4 miles south of Durango and a mile east of U.S. Highway 550 on the Florida Mesa.
“For anyone who had the privilege to have known Caleb, you would have known that he loved music and he loved to sing with his beautiful voice and went everywhere humming,” the obituary reads. “He knew every song from every movie that he ever watched and would break them out all the time.”
Efforts to reach his parents were not immediately successful Thursday.
Caleb was riding a Razor motorcycle when he exited a private drive and impacted the side of a Ford F-250, said CSP Trooper Mitchell Wilson, with the vehicular crimes unit.
The Ford truck was traveling east and was cresting a hill near mile post 1 at the point of impact.
The driver was described as a 37-year-old La Plata County woman, but the State Patrol declined to name the driver, saying no charges have been filed and it is unlikely any charges will be filed.
The driver did not appear to be impaired, and speed does not appear to have been a factor, Wilson said, adding the investigation is ongoing.
The driver remained on scene, was cooperative with law enforcement and was “understandably pretty torn up from being involved with something like that,” he said.
“The speed limit on La Plata County Road 302, I believe, is 45 (mph), and we have no indication of anything excessive or being a contributing factor,” Wilson said. “... It’s just a difficult thing. You don’t expect something to dart out in front of you all the time, and it just seems like she didn’t have enough time to react.”
Caleb was wearing a helmet, but the size difference between the two vehicles was the determining factor, he said.
The Razor motorcycle is not street legal, Wilson said. CSP is not sure where Caleb was going. It is possible he failed to apply enough brake before exiting the private drive or planned to turn around before heading back onto his property, Wilson said.
“Crashes are hard, and it’s even harder when it involves little kids,” he said.
According to the obituary, Caleb loved Legos, Transformers, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, swimming, chips and salsa, and popcorn by the bucket.
“Caleb was a person of pure love and joy,” his obituary reads. “He had a contagious giggle, was the one that would talk to every baby he saw, and the one that would say I love you first.”
Caleb is survived by his parents; sister, Alexia; and three brothers, Parker, Elijah and Spencer.
A celebration of life was held Tuesday in Durango.
shane@durangoherald.com
