A 47-year-old woman was flown to Mercy Regional Medical Center as a precaution after suffering minor injuries in a two-vehicle crash at the western base of Mancos Hill about 12:45 p.m. Monday.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Jeffrey Chmielewski said Tracy Parga, 47, was flown to Mercy as a precaution after her blue Jeep Liberty was rear-ended by a Chevrolet pickup and rolled one time. Parga’s most recent address was Cortez.
Parga and other vehicles had stopped near mile post 62 to allow dogs to cross the highway when the driver of the Chevrolet pickup attempted to pass Parga’s Jeep before realizing drivers were stopping for the dogs.
Chmielewski said the driver of the Chevrolet pickup was 19 or 20 years old, but he did not have a full name for the pickup driver, but he was cited for careless driving causing injury.
“It’s worth reminding people to allow adequate following distance to handle unexpected developments,” Chmielewski said. “If you see stopped vehicles, use caution. Try to figure out why they are stopped before trying to pass.”
A road paving project is underway at the scene of the crash, but Chmielewski said the road condition was not a factor in the crash. Initially, the crash was reported as a double rollover.
The Flight for Life helicopter departed the scene with Parga about 1:26 p.m., said Lisa Schwantes, spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The maintenance foreman on a road paving project reported the crash at 12:45 p.m., Schwantes said.
The eastbound lane was opened to traffic at 1:40 p.m. and the westbound traffic lane was opened at 1:50 p.m.
At the peak of the road closure, traffic was backed up for about 1½ miles on U.S. Highway 160, Schwantes said.
