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Sept 1, 2001
by Aspen C. Emmett Thursday was the first day of the Four Corners Iron Horse Motorcycle Rally, and by Thursday evening, two separate motorcycle crashes sent rally-goers to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. According to Colorado State Patrol Capt. Allen TeBrink, 48-year-old Fred McCaleb of Texas was critically injured when his motorcycle ran off the road on U.S. Highway 160 near Bayfield at 7:15 p.m. Almost simultaneously, John Wilson, 61, of Kansas, was critically wounded when he collided with a deer 15 miles east of Ignacio, TeBrink said. Both men were transported to Mercy Medical Center in Durango but specifics concerning the wrecks were not available as of press time Friday afternoon. "Both were critical the last I heard," TeBrink said Friday afternoon. Calls to Mercy regarding updates on the patients’ conditions Friday were not returned. TeBrink said the CSP is out in full force for the Labor Day weekend and in response to the annual motorcycle rally, which last year drew roughly 30,000 participants to Ignacio. Fifteen patrol officers in La Plata County alone are out on the roads during each shift, as opposed to the normal two-person patrol. "I brought people in from Alamosa, Montrose and Denver for the event," TeBrink said. Last year six motorcyclists were killed over the holiday weekend, and in an effort to prevent such tragedies, TeBrink offered a few helpful hints for both motorists and motorcyclists. "The main thing is just to be careful," he said. Allow for a safe traveling distance between you and the vehicles in front of you; turn on your headlights during the daytime for better visibility; and be aware of blind spots. "They’re a lot smaller," TeBrink said of the motorcycles. "If you’re not looking for them you won’t see them," he said. "Take extra time and look longer and farther. A lot of it is just common sense and common courtesy." |
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Copyright © 2001 the Cortez Journal.
All rights reserved. |
