Authorities have identified the pedestrian hit and killed by a car Thursday night on U.S. Highway 550 north of Durango as a 37-year-old woman from New Mexico.
The crash was reported around 8:15 p.m. Thursday at about milepost 27, just south of the Alpen Rose RV Park and River Bend Ranch.
La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Chris Burke said the woman killed was identified as Alisha Bradley, who was currently living in the Durango area but was from the Shiprock-Kirtland area in New Mexico.
Initial investigations show Bradley and her brother were in a vehicle on Highway 550 when they got into a verbal altercation. Burke said both were intoxicated at the time.
Bradley got out of the vehicle and the brother drove away, Burke said.
After the brother drove off, Bradley was on the side of the highway and was struck by a vehicle traveling north. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators are trying to determine whether Bradley was hit by accident or if she intentionally went into the road in a suicidal act, Burke said.
Because the investigation remains open, it’s unclear if the driver who struck Bradley faces any tickets or charges, which would come from Colorado State Patrol. Master Trooper Gary Cutler said if it’s determined Bradley intentionally went into the road, the driver likely would not face charges.
jromeo@durangoherald.com