On a notoriously difficult path in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, an aunt, a niece, and their tour guide were slain along with their jeep’s driver on Monday.
Around noon on September 12, the tourists Diana Robles, 28, and Ofelia Figueroa-Perez, 60, both from Yuma, Arizona, as well as their hired driver Don Fehd, 72, perished after their 2022 Jeep Gladiator went over the edge of Ouray County Road 361, also known as Camp Bird Road.
The jeep, which was travelling from Yankee Boy Basin towards Ouray, veered off the road, dropped 100 feet to the ground, then tumbled 140 feet down a steep slope before coming to a final stop on its roof close to the bank of Canyon Creek.
The deaths of Robles and Figueroa-Perez were discovered in their seats, while Fehd, who was in the passenger seat, was thrown from the car, according to the police.
According to the New York Post, Robles apparently snapped a photo of the famous Imogene Pass just before the tragic collision.
Another Arizona resident was murdered and his wife was wounded after their ATV rolled hundreds of feet near Imogene Pass, according to the Daily Press. It was the second fatal collision in the region in a week.
Robles and Figueroa-Perez, an aunt and niece who both worked as nurses at Yuma Regional Medical Center, had taken a vacation in the Colorado highlands.
Diana Figueroa, a family member, said on Facebook, “We are at a loss for words and in amazement.”
We are certain that they are in our Lord’s gracious hands since, as nurses, they personally impacted many lives in a positive way.
Owner of the tour firm Jeff Lindberg characterised Fehd as “quirky and sincere” with visitors that boarded his vehicle.
The vehicle and Fehd were rented by Robles and Figueroa-Perez as part of a trip with Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours.
Alcohol, drugs, weather, and speed were not suspected factors in the collision, according to State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis, and both passengers were wearing seatbelts.
It is uncertain whether Fehd wore a seatbelt as well.
According to Dangerous Roads, Camp Bird Route is a completely unpaved, “small, scenic mountain road,” and anybody who travels there “should have a four-wheel drive and no fear of heights.”
It is the location of the famous Imogene Route, a mountain pass that rises 13,000 feet above sea level and is the second-highest drivable pass in Colorado. Robles is said to have shot a picture of the pass.
According to Dangerous Roads, the path requires complete focus and has a 15 mph speed restriction.
At Yuma Regional Medical Center, Chaplain and Spiritual Care Manager Cathleen Wolff paid respect to her two fallen coworkers.
Our YRMC family is in disbelief, and our coworkers are profoundly mourning the unexpected death, she added.
“Losing two lovely carers is a great loss. The suffering we experience as a company is unbearable.
The Colorado State Patrol is looking for any information from the public to help in their investigation into the crash’s cause.