JEFFERSON COUNTY - A woman was rushed to a hospital Monday morning after her truck went off a highway and ended up on an ice shelf in a creek canyon.
Golden Fire Department Spokesman Jonathan Ashford says the woman was driving west on US 6, about six miles up Clear Creek Canyon, when her white pickup went off the right side of the road, down a steep embankment and into the creek canyon.
The crash happened around 8 a.m. and the Colorado State Patrol was first on scene.
"A state trooper went down, made first contact with the patient," Ashford said. "We got on scene shortly thereafter, went down, sent a crew including a paramedic, some firefighters, to evaluate the patient's injuries."
Ashford says the woman was lucky she was wearing a seatbelt and had airbags in her vehicle which deployed as the truck went 100 to 150 feet down.
"We got really lucky that this vehicle didn't flip over on its way down the embankment and was able to land on its wheels right there next to the river," Ashford said.
Ashford says it was also fortunate the truck came to rest on the ice shelf next to the creek, rather than in the frigid water, which made the rescue easier and safer for firefighters.
Rescuers from Golden Fire got her out of her vehicle quickly and she was airlifted to a local hospital.
"We train for this type of rescue very frequently," Ashford said.
The woman's name and condition were not immediately known, but Ashford says she suffered serious injuries, but they did not appear to be life threatening.
"It could have been a lot worse," Ashford said.
US 6 was closed, but reopened around 10:10 a.m.
Golden Fire Department Spokesman Jonathan Ashford says the woman was driving west on US 6, about six miles up Clear Creek Canyon, when her white pickup went off the right side of the road, down a steep embankment and into the creek canyon.
The crash happened around 8 a.m. and the Colorado State Patrol was first on scene.
"A state trooper went down, made first contact with the patient," Ashford said. "We got on scene shortly thereafter, went down, sent a crew including a paramedic, some firefighters, to evaluate the patient's injuries."
Ashford says the woman was lucky she was wearing a seatbelt and had airbags in her vehicle which deployed as the truck went 100 to 150 feet down.
"We got really lucky that this vehicle didn't flip over on its way down the embankment and was able to land on its wheels right there next to the river," Ashford said.
Ashford says it was also fortunate the truck came to rest on the ice shelf next to the creek, rather than in the frigid water, which made the rescue easier and safer for firefighters.
Rescuers from Golden Fire got her out of her vehicle quickly and she was airlifted to a local hospital.
"We train for this type of rescue very frequently," Ashford said.
The woman's name and condition were not immediately known, but Ashford says she suffered serious injuries, but they did not appear to be life threatening.
"It could have been a lot worse," Ashford said.
US 6 was closed, but reopened around 10:10 a.m.
