February 16, 2023
The man who was killed in an accident on U.S. Highway 550 just south of Colona on Wednesday night has been identified as 27-year-old Ivan Alejandro Luera-Gurerro.
Luera-Gurerro was pronounced dead at Montrose Regional Health, after being transported there from the scene of the crash, according to Ouray County Coroner Glenn Boyd.
Boyd said Luera-Gurerro was staying in Montrose but is from Zacatecas, Mexico. An autopsy is scheduled for the investigation, which will determine the cause and manner of his death.
The accident happened just after 5:30 p.m. near the Centennial Ranch around mile marker 114, according to Colorado State Patrol Trooper Taylor Blanscet.
A GMC Yukon, driven by Luera-Gurerro, tried to pass several vehicles in a no-passing zone heading north on the highway when Luera-Gurerro swerved to avoid a Ford F-150 approaching from the opposite direction, triggering a four-car accident, Blanscet said.
The Ford F-150 struck the Yukon, pushing it into a northbound GMC Sierra that was hauling a trailer. A northbound Honda Ridgeline traveling behind the GMC Sierra wasn’t able to stop fast enough and was struck, though Blanscet said investigators aren’t sure which vehicle struck it.
A 49-year-old man who was a passenger in the GMC Yukon sustained minor injuries but wasn’t taken to the hospital. Four people in the GMC Sierra — two 42-year-old men, a 41-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, all from the Grand Junction area — were not injured. A 43-year-old Montrose woman who was the driver of the Honda Ridgeline also was not injured, according to Blanscet.
All of the people involved in the accident were wearing seat belts.
“This is a very complex investigation,” Blanscet said. “The main accident investigators are still trying to piece together what happened.”
He said investigators believe the attempt to pass in a no-passing zone, combined with speed that was excessive for the conditions, were the primary factors in the accident. Neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected.
The accident closed Highway 550 in both directions until about 10 p.m.
Office address:
1075 Sherman St., #200
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
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Ridgway CO 81432
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Fatal accident victim identified – OurayNews.com
