A driver and a passenger escaped with no injuries after driving off a section of U.S. Highway 550’s Red Mountain Pass last weekend, according to Colorado State Patrol.

Trooper Joshua Lewis said authorities became aware of the crash around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, which was believed to have happened late Saturday or early Sunday.

An initial report said a 19-year-old driver in a 2017 Mitsubishi sedan was traveling north on the mountain road when he entered a series of sharp curves near mile marker 88 and lost control of the vehicle.

The vehicle crossed into the southbound lane, and then back into the northbound lane before going off an embankment and hitting several trees, Lewis said. It appears the car came to a rest about 30 feet to 33 feet off the highway.

Lewis said the driver arranged for a private tow Sunday afternoon to retrieve the vehicle.

The driver, identified as Felepe Trujillo of Durango, was cited with careless driving, failing to notify police of a crash and having a passenger without a seat belt.

Trujillo is believed to have been wearing a seat belt. Drugs and alcohol are not suspected factors in the crash, Lewis said.

jromeo@durangoherald.com