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One killed in crash on north Main Avenue in Durango

Witness says vehicle swerved sharply before crashing into trolley stop
One person was killed in a single-vehicle crash Monday night in the 3700 block of Main Avenue. The vehicle reportedly crashed into a sheltered trolley stop. (Shane Benjamin/Durango Herald)

A man was killed in a single-vehicle crash about 7:35 p.m. Monday in the 3700 block of Main Avenue, near the Hampton Inn in north Durango.

Jesse Anderson, who witnessed the crash, said an SUV was driving south on Main Avenue at a high rate of speed swerving back and forth, as if the driver was reaching down for something. The vehicle swerved in multiple directions, and each was a sharp over-correcting turn.

The driver went off the right side of the road and smashed into a trolley stop with shelter.

“It sounded like an explosion,” Anderson said.

Anderson said he had just crossed Main Avenue, from the west side to east side. He ran back across the road to render aid, but he said the driver was beyond help.

Anderson estimated the driver was traveling about 60 mph; the area where he crashed is a 35 mph zone.

One person was killed in a single-vehicle crash Monday night in the 3700 block of Main Avenue. The vehicle reportedly crashed into a sheltered trolley stop. (Shane Benjamin/Durango Herald)
One person was killed in a single-vehicle crash Monday night in the 3700 block of Main Avenue. The vehicle reportedly crashed into a sheltered trolley stop. (Shane Benjamin/Durango Herald)

Jeff Myer, who was in his office across the street, said he also heard the crash. He immediately called 911, and then ran across Main Avenue to offer help.

Myer said he pried open the driver’s-side door, but it was obvious the driver was deceased.

Anderson and Myer said music was blaring from the vehicle when they approached. “It was just loud music,“ Myer said. “It wasn’t recognizable to me.”

Sgt. Bruce Hamer with the Durango Police Department confirmed the crashed involved a single vehicle and one occupant. The vehicle was a champagne-colored Chevrolet Tahoe.

He said a man who was “roughly” 40 years old died in the crash. He declined to identify the driver, saying next of kin had not yet been notified.

No alcohol is suspected, but that was based on preliminary findings of the investigation, he said.

“The male was deceased upon contact,” he said.

shane@durangoherald.com



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