Two vehicles crashed Wednesday afternoon on U.S. Highway 550 south of Durango, reducing the highway to alternating traffic in one lane for almost two hours, according to law enforcement.
The head-on crash closed the southbound lane of Highway 550 near mile marker 13 around 12:15 p.m., according to the Colorado State Patrol. The southbound lane of U.S. Highway 550 was closed until 1:50 p.m., said Trooper Dustin Moore.
Law enforcement suspect the Zachary Lee, 27 of New Mexico, was driving a Dodge Ram northbound on U.S. Highway 550 when he veered into the southbound lane and oncoming traffic, Moore said. The truck crashed head-on into a Hyundai SUV driven by a 74-year-old woman from Farmington.
The woman reported injuries to her hand and was taken by ambulance to Mercy Regional Medical center with non-life-threatening injuries. She also told law enforcement that Lee told her he’d fallen asleep while driving, Moore said.
Colorado State Patrol cited Lee with careless driving causing injury, a Class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense, punishable by 10 days to 1 year in jail and a fine of $300 to $1000.
This is a developing story. Check back with www.durangoherald.com for updates.