By Gail Binkly

A 79-year-old woman critically injured in an automobile accident in Mancos on Wednesday died Thursday at San Juan Regional Hospital in Farmington, according to authorities.

Bessie Miller of Mancos sustained severe head trauma in the accident, which occurred early Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of U.S. Highway 160 and Colorado Highway 184.

Her husband, Albert, 81, who was a passenger in the car driven by Mrs. Miller, was stable and improving Friday afternoon at Southwest Memorial Hospital, but remained in intensive care, according to a SWMH spokesperson. He had fractured ribs and multiple contusions.

According to Montezuma County Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Kalvin Boggs, Mrs. Miller was waiting on the south side of the intersection to turn east onto Highway 160. She reportedly waited several minutes, then inexplicably pulled out into traffic in front of an eastbound pickup hauling a recreational vehicle.

"They’re not exactly sure what happened," said Boggs. "She sat at the stop sign quite a while and then pulled out and was struck."

The Millers’ white sedan was smashed on the driver’s side, causing massive damage, Boggs said. Eyewitnesses said an18-wheeler following the RV had to slam on its brakes and swerve to avoid crashing into the two vehicles.

The occupants of the pickup, Eric and Jenny Kube of Minnesota, were not harmed. They were traveling the speed limit through the intersection, Boggs said, and were not cited.

Ironically, said Mancos’ interim town manager, Bill Ray, the town board recently began discussing commissioning a $22,000 engineering study of the 160-184 intersection, widely regarded as one of the county’s most dangerous because it occurs on a highway in the heart of the small town.

Although the speed limit on 160 is lowered from 65 to 45 mph at the intersection, many drivers do not slow down, and there are no flashing lights to warn of the approaching junction. There is no stop light and no easy way for pedestrians to cross the busy thoroughfare.

"I’ve seen kids -- fourth- and fifth-graders -- try to get a snack at lunch and they’re crossing here -- I can’t believe it," said Mancos resident Valerie Mahan at the scene of the accident.

Ray said the town board is planning to hire an independent engineer to do a study of the intersection preparatory to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s plans to send out a request for proposals next spring on improving the junction.

"We’re trying to define what we think are the design alternatives the state should consider when they look at signalizing or other options next spring," Ray said.

He said he hopes the town will, by doing its own study, be able to come to discussions with CDOT with its own preferences thoroughly thought out.

"Rather than the state just deciding what’s best, I’m trying to get the town in a position where they’ve got some of their own expertise on board and have hired their own traffic engineer to make an independent evaluation based on considerable community input," he said.

The tragic accident Wednesday will probably give new urgency to the process, he said.