Vehicle crashes, rolls down switchback several times near Telluride

DENVER (KDVR) — A driver was able to walk back up the hill after crashing and rolling several times down a switchback near Telluride on Thursday morning, according to a social media post from the Telluride Fire Protection District. Around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the Telluride Fire Protection District, San Miguel County Sheriff's Office and search and rescue responded to reports that an SUV rolled several times off a switchback near the top of Imogene Pass near Telluride. Telluride EMS crews drove up the pass and made contact with the driver around 10 a.m. The driver, a 58-year-old man from Phoenix, was standing on the road with several bystanders, two of whom had wilderness first-aid training. The man self-extricated and walked about 150 feet back to the road. According to the post, Imogene Pass was not open for the season in San Miguel County, but it is open in Ouray. The Ouray County Sheriff's Office said that there was no signage indicating the status of the pass in San Miguel County and that Ouray County had mistakenly posted that the entire pass was open as of Tuesday. The driver said he drove from the Ouray County side into San Miguel County when he hit an icy part of the road and slid off onto the switchbacks below the summit. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries but was taken to a local medical center for evaluation. Ouray County officials placed a sign at the top stating the San Miguel side of the pass is closed and updated the county's website to reflect the changes.