Monday, an aunt and niece, along with their tour guide, were killed when their vehicle slid down a cliff on a famously treacherous path in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.
Diana Robles, 28, and Ofelia Figueroa-Perez, 60, all from Yuma, Arizona, and Don Fehd, 72, a hired driver, perished on September 12 about noon when their 2022 Jeep Gladiator overturned on Ouray County Road 361, commonly known as Camp Bird Road.
The jeep, which was travelling from the Yankee Boy Basin region towards Ouray, veered off the road and dropped 100 feet to the bottom before rolling 140 feet down a steep slope and came to rest on its top at the bank of Canyon Creek.
Police said that Fehd was ejected from the car while Robles and Figueroa-Perez were discovered still seated in their respective seats.
According to the New York Post, Robles had snapped a photograph of the renowned Imogene Pass moments before the tragic accident.
The Daily Press said that it was the second fatal accident in the region within a week, as another Arizona man was killed and his wife was wounded after their all-terrain vehicle experienced a similar accident near Imogene Pass.
Robles and Figueroa-Perez, who were niece and aunt that both worked as nurses at Yuma Regional Medical Center, had gone to the Colorado mountains for a getaway.
‘We are in a loss for words and in disbelief,’ family member Diana Figueroa wrote on Facebook.
‘We know they are in the merciful hands of our Lord as they themselves being nurses had healing hands in every life they touched.’
The proprietor of the tour firm, Jeff Lindberg, noted that Fehd was “quirky and genuine” with customers that stepped inside his vehicle.
Before the passenger could complete their response, the driver would respond, “I was from there!”
Robles and Figueroa-Perez rented the jeep and Fehd from Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours as part of a tour.
According to Trooper Josh Lewis of the State Patrol, alcohol, drugs, weather, and speed are not believed to have played a role in the occurrence, since both customers were wearing their seatbelts.
According to Ouray County Coroner Colleen Hollenbeck, Robles meant to phone a buddy to discuss the trip, but the conversation never occurred.
Instead, the friend made panicked phone calls and then saw social media postings about the disaster, which ultimately led to her calling Holenbeck and learning about the deaths.
It is uncertain if Fehd wore a seatbelt as well.
According to Dangerous Roads, Camp Bird Route is a completely unpaved “narrow, picturesque mountain road” and anyone who go along it should have a “four-wheel drive and no fear of heights”.
Robles purportedly took a photograph of the famous Imogene Pass, a mountain route 13,000 feet above sea level and is the second highest drivable pass in Colorado.
“The route demands 100 percent concentration,’ Dangerous Roads say, and has a 15mph speed limit.
Cathleen Wolff, Chaplain and Manager of Spiritual Care at Yuma Regional Medical Center, eulogised her two deceased colleagues.
She said, “Our YRMC family is in shock and colleagues are deeply grieving the sudden loss.”
“Losing two beautiful caregivers is tremendous loss. The pain we feel as an organisation is immeasurable.”
The reason of the accident is being investigated, and the Colorado State Patrol is requesting any public information.