Three tourists died in Colorado's San Juan Mountains after their tour Jeep rolled over a cliff, police said.
On Monday, Diana Robles, 28, Ofelia Figueroa-Perez, 60, and Don Fehd, 72 — who was hired to drive their Jeep — were all killed when the vehicle slid off the edge of a mountain road and fell hundreds of feet.
Investigators told the Montrose Daily Press that the 2022 Jeep Gladiator first fell approximately 100 feet to the foot of the cliff, and then began to roll down a 140 foot embankment. Mr Fehd was ejected from the vehicle during the roll.
The Jeep ultimately came to a stop on its roof near the bank of the creek. The bodies of the sightseers were found inside the vehicle.
Just before the crash, Ms Figueroa-Perez snapped a photo of the Imogene Pass, which is the second-highest drivable pass in Colorado. The group was travelling on Camp Bird Road, which, according to Dangerous Roads, is a "narrow, picturesque mountain road" that should not be driven unless one has "four-wheel drive and no fear of heights."
Ms Figueroa-Perez was Ms Robles’s aunt. Both women were nurses at the Yuma Regional Medical Centre in Yuma, Arizona. She was remembered by her family in a Facebook post after her death was announced.
“We know they are in the merciful hands of our Lord as they themselves being nurses had healing hands in every life they touched,” family member Diana Figueroa wrote.
The Ouray County Plaindealer spoke to Jeff Lindberg, the owner of West Colorado Jeep Rentals and Tours, which employed Mr Fehd. He said the driver was known for his "quirky, genuine way" with guests.
Police do not believe drugs, alcohol, weather conditions or speed were a factor in the crash, according to the incident report.
It was the second fatal accident in the region in a week, according to the Montrose Daily Press. Another Arizona resident was killed and his wife was injured when their vehicle rolled 600 feet down an embankment.
In that instance the driver, Tory Coonrod, 52, was driving with his wife across steep terrain when the trail ended and he found himself forced to turn around. As he was maneuvering, he felt the vehicle begin to tip, and he yelled for his wife to jump out of the Jeep. She was injured in her escape but managed to survive. Mr Coonrod did not.
