A two-vehicle crash killed one man Tuesday south of Cortez on U.S. 160/491, according to the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.
The collision occurred just before 1 p.m. and involved a white Ram pickup truck from Colorado and red Chevy Cruze from Arizona. It occurred at mile marker 33, about 4 miles south of town.
A male occupant of the Chevy was killed, according to sheriff officials. An occupant of the pickup was transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital, said Sheriff Steve Nowlin, but the person’s condition was not known.
The name of the deceased was not released pending notification of family.
A witness in a line of cars north of the crash said he called 911 after he saw the vehicles go off the west side of highway in a cloud of dust.
A trooper with the Colorado State Patrol said the crash was under investigation. It occurred on a straight section of road with a dotted yellow line and posted speed limit of 65 mph.
The truck sustained heavy front-end damage, and the collision sheared off a front wheel. The Chevy came to rest 20 yards from the highway and had heavy front-end and side damage.
Traffic was delayed, but drivers were allowed through on an alternating basis. Agencies that responded to the crash include the state patrol, Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, Cortez Fire Protection District, Southwest Health System, Colorado Department of Transportation, the Ute Mountain Ute Fire Department and the Montezuma County Coroner Office.