The Jeep started on Mildred Road and jumped the curb near the Colorado Welcome Center while heading west on Main Street, swerved back onto the road and jumped the curb again before hitting a Chevrolet Tahoe near Dolores State Bank.
It then swerved off Main Street, shearing off a power pole in front of Front Row Seat video store, and then hit a pickup in front of City Market, 508 E. Main St.
A passenger in the Jeep, the driver’s 92-year-old mother, was transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital with several broken bones, Brock said. He said she died later that day after going into surgery.
The driver, who was identified Thursday as Nancy Doran, voluntarily went to the hospital, although she did not appear to be seriously injured.
Lt. Andy Brock, of the Cortez Police Department, said police aren’t sure what caused the accident, as Doran did not appear to be intoxicated.
“It doesn’t sound like she was aware there was a traffic accident,” Brock said.
No one in the other two vehicles received serious injuries, Brock said.
He said he expected charges to be filed against Doran, but they were still pending as of Thursday morning.
He said he could not release the name of the passenger who died until he was sure all her family members had been notified.