A Bayfield motorcyclist was in critical condition Wednesday after being hit by a suspected drunken driver northeast of Durango.
The crash occurred about 11:53 p.m. Aug. 16 in the 1500 block of Florida Road in northeast Durango. A 2021 Audi Q5 driving east is suspected of swerving into the oncoming lane and hitting the motorcyclist head-on, according to the Durango Police Department.
The motorcyclist was identified as Otter Sliter, 34, of Bayfield.
The Durango Police Department declined to identify the driver of the Audi, saying investigators are awaiting the results of a blood-alcohol test, and the driver has not yet been formally charged with a crime.
The driver refused to take a breath test on scene, and a search warrant was written for blood testing. Shaline said it will likely take three to six weeks to get blood-alcohol test results back.
DPD Cmdr. Deck Shaline said law enforcement believes alcohol played a role in the crash.
After hitting the motorcyclist, the Audi veered off the road and struck two other unoccupied vehicles before coming to a stop.
Sliter, who was driving home from work at the time, was airlifted to Denver because of serious bodily injury. Law enforcement did not specify what specific injuries Sliter suffered in the crash.
A GoFundMe page has been started for Sliter to help pay for his recovery. Sliter was supposed to get married to his fiance, Meridith Rich, this weekend, according to the GoFundMe page. The fundraising drive has already raised more than $20,000.
“All we want to say is that we have a long road of surgeries ahead of us,” his fiance said Wednesday, “and the St. Anthony staff has been incredible.”
tbrown@durangoherald.com
