Three people suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash Friday afternoon on U.S. Highway 160, east of Bayfield.
Mancos resident Jeromy Cooper, 46, was driving a 1986 white Ford F-250 pickup westbound in the eastbound lane when he hit a 2014 blue Toyota Prius head-on, said Capt. Adrian Driscoll with the Colorado State Patrol. The crash occurred about 1 mile west of the Piedra River.
“We do not believe speed was a factor, but we are looking at some kind of impairment and charges are pending against Cooper,” he said.
Law enforcement was investigating what substance caused Cooper’s impairment.
Cooper injured both Bayfield residents in the Prius. Gail Grossman, 75, was driving the Prius; her husband, Richard Grossman, 75, was in the passenger seat, Driscoll said.
Richard Grossman is a well-known doctor in Southwest Colorado for his work as an OB/GYN and his work with Planned Parenthood. He has since retired. He also writes the “Population Matters” column for The Durango Herald.
Everyone involved in the crash was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center for treatment, Driscoll said. The Grossmans were wearing seat belts; Cooper was not wearing a seat belt, he said.
Efforts to obtain patient conditions on all three crash victims were unsuccessful Friday night.
Everyone involved is expected to recover, Driscoll said.
Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene, he said.
The crash closed the eastbound lane of Highway 160 for about three hours.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
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