A fatal, single-vehicle accident just south of Rico, killed the driver Thursday morning and shut down part of Colo. Highway 145 as crews removed the vehicle.
At about 9:35 a.m. it was discovered that a Fed-Ex semi-truck had left Highway 145 about three miles south of Rico and went down an embankment, coming to a stop near a stream that feeds the Dolores River, said Colorado State Patrol Trooper Jonathan Silver.
It was discovered that James R. Irwin, of Texas, was dead when emergency crews arrived on scene.
Silver said that it appeared Irwin was struck by an unrestrained television in the cab of the truck.
We are waiting for the official cause of death from the coroner, but it appeared that the TV caused significant injury, Silver said.
One lane of the highway was closed Thursday night as a crew worked to remove the large vehicle from the bottom of the embankment. Care was needed in the extraction because the truck contained a pallet of medical supplies that needed to be in a temperature-controlled environment, Silver said.
Silver said it looked as if the accident may have been caused when Irwin went around a shaded corner on the curvy mountain highway.
There were brake marks that indicated he was alert when he left the road, Silver said.
A hazardous materials team was on scene at the accident as well, to clean up a small amount of diesel that had spilled in a stream near the Dolores River, Silver said.
