A Colorado State Patrol trooper was hospitalized Saturday afternoon after a Durango man suspected of impairment ran a stop sign and clipped her vehicle on Colorado Highway 172 near Oxford.
According to a Colorado State Patrol news release, Trooper Sierra Ziegler was traveling west on Highway 172 while a blue Dodge sedan was traveling on County Road 311.
Security footage from a nearby business shows the sedan fail to stop and then collide with Ziegler’s patrol vehicle, according to CSP.
“Trooper Ziegler’s patrol vehicle then collided with a white Dodge truck before traveling off the south shoulder of Highway 172,” the release said.
Neither the sedan driver nor the truck driver was injured.
“Trooper Ziegler was transported to an area medical facility by personal vehicle for treatment of minor injuries resulting from the crash,” the release said.
She was treated and released.
A CSP spokesman identified the sedan driver as 50-year-old James Fulks.
Fulks was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
CSP spokesman Gabriel Moletrer said Fulks is a repeat offender whose license was revoked and whose car was not registered.
“The Colorado State Patrol is reminding motorists that impaired driving, whether from cannabis, alcohol or any other substance, puts lives at risk and is not tolerated on Colorado roadways,” the release said.
CSP urged drivers to refrain from operating motor vehicles while under the influence of controlled substances.
“Incidents such as these do not have to occur,” the release said. “The Colorado State Patrol reminds drivers to plan a sober ride in advance to ensure everyone makes it home safely.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
