One dead after SUV rolls near De Beque
By SAMANTHA STILES
The Daily Sentinel
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
One person was killed and five others injured when the SUV they were riding in rolled over numerous times on Interstate 70 near De Beque Wednesday night, said Sgt. Matthew Beaudin with the Colorado State Patrol.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident, and Beaudin said it appears the driver of the vehicle simply lost control.
“Alcohol and speed (are factors) under investigation,” he said.
At least two people were ejected from the vehicle as a result of the rollover, which occurred near mile marker 61.5. At least one person was sent by CareFlight to St. Mary’s Hospital Wednesday night, and the rest of the injured were taken by ambulance to area hospitals. Specific information on their conditions was not available as late Wednesday.
Sgt. Beaudin said emergency response teams from De Beque and Plateau Valley, the Palisade Fire Department, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department and the State Patrol responded to the accident scene just before 8 p.m. Wednesday evening.
The stretch of I-70 near De Beque where the incident occurred is considered a “high accident” area, Beaudin said.
Traffic was funneled into one lane along I-70 for hours after the accident, while officers combed through scrap metal and debris along the road and a nearby grassy area where the vehicle came to a rest on its roof.
