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11h ago

Driver Survives 300-Foot Plunge Off Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway After Rope Rescue

Rescuers rappelled into the Uncompahgre River Gorge using a technical rope system to reach the sole occupant.

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Overview

  • Officials said the driver sustained only minor injuries despite the pickup being severely damaged.
  • The crash occurred on Oct. 9 near Ouray around 12:20 p.m., between mile markers 88 and 89 on U.S. 550.
  • Ouray Mountain Rescue Team, Ouray County EMS and the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department conducted the cliffside extraction.
  • Photos released by the rescue team show the truck on its roof after falling roughly 300 feet into the gorge.
  • The Million Dollar Highway lacks guardrails in places due to avalanche operations and saw two fatal crashes this summer, with state troopers continuing an investigation into an Aug. 5 wreck.