Driver in fatal US 550 crash has been identified

OURAY COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) - The driver who died in a deadly two-vehicle crash on Monday on U.S. Highway 550 has been identified by the Ouray County Coroner's Office. Ouray man Alixzander Thomsen, 34, was behind the wheel in the collision that also left his passengers, a 12-year-old girl and a woman, 74, with serious injuries. An autopsy and toxicology report are pending, which is typical in fatal crashes, according to the coroner’s office. The crash happened just south of Ridgway near Orvis Hot Springs. Colorado State Patrol stated that its preliminary investigation found that the driver of a Dodge Caravan, Thomsen, had drifted over the center line and into oncoming traffic. The driver of a Ford 350 - that was pulling a gooseneck flatbed trailer with a skid steer - was traveling in the opposite direction and steered to avoid the oncoming Dodge. However, the front of the Caravan struck the flatbed trailer before going off the road and into a ditch. After the collision, the trailer detached from the Ford and landed up in a ditch as the skid steer rolled off, according to CSP. The driver of the Ford was not injured. CSP stated there was no rear seat in the Dodge Caravan, and all three occupants were unrestrained.