The icy road played a part in the crash, said Colorado State Patrol Trooper Tonja Cowan.
“They were both traveling under the speed limit, but going too fast for the conditions,” Cowan said.
About 8:15 a.m., a 1995 Toyota pickup truck, driven by Kevin Ketterer of Dolores, was northbound on Colorado 145 when it fishtailed into the southbound lane and collided nearly head-on with a southbound 2012 Mercedes SUV, driven by Amanda Robichaux of Dolores.
Robichaux was taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital. Ketterer was taken to Southwest Memorial, then flown to a hospital in Grand Junction.
The top of the pickup was cut open to extract Ketterer.
Cowan said both drivers were wearing seat belts, and neither carried passengers.
“It could have been a lot worse,” she said.
The collision caused the pickup to roll, and a tire snapped off from the Mercedes, Cowan said.
The highway was busy at the time, and traffic was blocked in both directions for about two hours. Passersby stopped to help until paramedics arrived.
Ketterer is a local swim coach, and a collection jar has been placed in Dolores at the Dolores State bank to help his family pay for medical expenses. Ketterer was issued a citation by the Colorado Highway Patrol for traveling too fast for the road conditions, Cowan said.