Overview
- Ouray-based first responders and the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team used a technical rope system to raise the sole occupant back to the roadway.
- The pickup left U.S. 550 between mile markers 88 and 89 on the north side of Red Mountain Pass, coming to rest in the Uncompahgre Gorge near the river.
- Rescue officials said the driver was the only person in the vehicle and sustained minor injuries.
- Southbound traffic on U.S. 550 was closed for roughly two hours during the rescue, according to the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office.
- The site is the same corridor that saw multiple serious crashes this year, including two deaths in August, and Colorado State Patrol reports 13 crashes on the 13-mile stretch where some sections lack guardrails due to winter snow removal needs.