Two motorcyclists were killed in separate crashes in less than 24 hours Wednesday and Thursday in La Plata County.
The first crash occurred about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday on Camino del Rio where the highway sweeps past the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad rail yard, said Amanda Garrison, spokeswoman with Durango Police Department.
The second crash occurred about 2:50 p.m. Thursday on U.S. Highway 160 northeast of Bayfield, said Trooper Hunter Mathews with the Colorado State Patrol.
Both were single-vehicle crashes involving only the drivers. Both drivers were wearing helmets.
The driver in the first crash was identified as Kristopher Chambers, 37, of Durango, said La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith.
Chambers was driving a custom-build Harley-Davidson northbound on Camino del Rio when – for unknown reasons – he veered off the right side of the road, went up an embankment and through a fence at the D&SNG rail yard, Garrison said.
“(A) preliminary investigation looks like he tried to avoid something, but we don’t know,” she said. “There’s been zero witnesses come forward and we don’t have any cameras or anything in that area.”
Police do not suspect impairment, but that is based on a preliminary investigation.
“He stayed on the bike for a substantial amount of time and actually made it into the train yard, so up and through a fence,” Garrison said.
Chambers moved with his partner, Heidi Spann, to Durango in April 2025. He worked as the service manager at Durango Harley-Davidson, said Trevor Bird, owner of the dealership.
“One of the things I really admired about Kris is a lot of us who call Durango home take for granted what we have in the backyard,” he said. “... Every weekend Heidi and him were out exploring the backcountry and camping and fishing. He never let a minute of life slip by without making the most of it.”
The shop hosted a dinner for the Open Road Hog Posse Ride on Wednesday, in which employees cooked for 250 HOG members. At the end of the day, he and Bird were reminiscing about a difficult, but rewarding day – “and we absolutely loved it,” Bird said.
“Kris was not just an incredible manager – amazing with our customers, a great leader – but he was a hard worker,” he said.
He said Chambers was looking forward to a busy weekend with several motorcycle events taking place in Southwest Colorado.
In a statement to The Durango Herald, Spann said Chambers’ passion was riding motorcycles and working for Harley-Davidson.
“It was important to him to do the best job he could and support the motorcycling community,” she said. “He enjoyed swapping stories with customers, with longtime riders and helping Harley customers have phenomenal experiences. It had always been his dream to live and work at a Colorado Harley-Davidson dealership. He was able to do that, and excel at it.”
The driver of the second crash was identified as Gregory Osborn, of Dayton, Nevada, Smith said.
Osborn was driving an Indian Motorcycle westbound toward Bayfield when he failed to negotiate a slight left turn in the road and traveled off the right side of the road, Mathews said.
“He then went up a steep embankment, which ejected the driver from the motorcycle,” Mathews said. “He was pronounced deceased after being transported to a nearby medical facility.”
Mathews was apparently at the Sky Ute Casino for an Indian Motorcycle get-together and demo riding event. He was reportedly trying out a motorcycle at the time of his crash, Smith said.
Garrison urged motorcyclists to wear helmets and asked other drivers to be aware of their surroundings.
“For the motorcycle riders out there: A helmet is not an inconvenience. Every time you put one on it’s added safety,” she said. “For drivers: (Take) the extra time to look a second time and make sure you’re sharing the road.”
shane@durangoherald.com
