HESPERUS A man and a woman riding a motorcycle died Tuesday after being struck head-on by a car on U.S. Highway 160.
The crash occurred at 4:43 p.m., about four miles west of Hesperus. The victims were a 66-year-old man and 65-year-old woman from California. Their names were not immediately available Tuesday evening pending notification of next of kin. Both died at the scene after being ejected from the motorcycle, said Cpl. Jared Rapp.
Authorities suspect that Cortez resident Stacie Pierce-Green, 40, who was driving a green Mercury Tracer westbound, crossed the double-yellow line and struck the motorcycle going eastbound, said Capt. Martin Petrik with the Colorado State Patrol.
They suspect the woman in the car may have been under the influence of alcohol, he said. She was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition late Tuesday evening.
Her injuries didnt appear to be life threatening, Rapp said.
Details of the crash are being investigated, and charges are still pending, he said.
The highway was closed from Colorado Highway 140 at Hesperus to about Mancos Hill in Montezuma County until 8:30 p.m.
A similar head-on crash happened March 22, 2011, in about the same location. A driver crossed the center line and struck a family of four in a Toyota FJ Cruiser. Three people were killed, including the father and one son. The driver of the other car also died.