An alleged drunk driver jeopardized the safety of several other motorists on a mid-morning rampage that led to the suspect’s car rolling over several times and eventually landed him in jail Thursday.

Colorado State Trooper David Van Bibber said the crash occurred at 10:08 a.m. at U.S. Highway 160 just west of the Mesa Verde exit.

According to witnesses, 26-year-old Nelson Boyd of Teec Nos Pos was driving eastbound in a 2000 Mercury and passed a line of cars at a high rate of speed, forcing an oncoming vehicle off the side of the road.

"Luckily they saw him coming," Van Bibber said. "They moved over to the shoulder and then he moved over to the shoulder (westbound) so they were very concerned that they were going to get hit head-on, but somehow they made it out."

Van Bibber said Boyd then got back onto the highway, again continuing east at a high rate of speed, and passed yet another vehicle.

"Once he passed, he came back into the eastbound lane and went off the eastbound shoulder into the dirt where (the vehicle) collided with two delineator posts," Van Bibber said. "The vehicle then spun counter-clockwise across the eastbound lane into a dirt median and rolled numerous times across the westbound lanes and came to rest on the westbound shoulder on its wheels."

Boyd was transported from the scene complaining of leg injuries, Van Bibber said. "He was assessed at the hospital and treated for lacerations on his face. From there he was transported to the Montezuma County Jail."

Boyd was issued a summons for driving under the influence of alcohol and careless driving.

"He showed signs of intoxication and did admit to having consumed an alcoholic beverage prior to the crash," VanBibber said. "He said he’d had one beer."

Van Bibber said Boyd claimed to have fallen asleep at the time of the crash

"Unbelievably he wasn’t killed or didn’t kill anybody," Van Bibber said.

"He presented an extremely dangerous situation to the public and to other motorists by operating this vehicle under those conditions.