Driver Falls 300 Feet from ‘Treacherous’ Highway and Is Rescued with Only Minor Injuries

A driver miraculously survived after their truck plunged hundreds of feet from Colorado’s notorious Million Dollar Highway, a stretch known for its breathtaking views and dangerous terrain.

The crash occurred on Thursday, Oct. 9, when multiple emergency agencies were alerted around 12:20 p.m. that a vehicle had veered off U.S. Highway 550 between mile markers 88 and 89, according to a Facebook post from the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team.

“First responders from Ouray County EMS, the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department, and the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team performed a technical rope rescue of the only occupant of a pickup truck that plummeted 300 feet into the Uncompahgre River Gorge,” the organization said.

Although the vehicle was heavily damaged, rescuers reported that the driver sustained only minor injuries.

According to the City of Ouray’s visitor website, the Million Dollar Highway is a “scenic and treacherous mountain road” winding through the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The route is celebrated for its dramatic beauty but infamous for its “narrow lanes, hairpin turns, and steep cliffs,” which have earned it a reputation as one of the most dangerous roads in the United States.

The same stretch of highway was the site of a deadly crash just two months earlier, on Aug. 5. The Colorado State Patrol responded after a car rolled down Red Mountain Pass, the 11,018-foot summit of the route. Authorities said the vehicle, a Honda Civic, tumbled approximately 320 feet before coming to rest upside down in a river.

Two adults were pronounced dead at the scene, while a young female passenger trapped in the vehicle was rescued. Officials later identified the deceased as Louis Michael, 42, and Leoba Valdez, 79, both from Aztec, New Mexico.

In a separate incident on Aug. 7, a woman also survived after rolling off the same highway, according to CBS affiliate KCNC.

Tourism officials in Ouray advise motorists to drive cautiously and monitor weather conditions, noting that the road can become especially hazardous during winter storms.