Police seek Dolores man in hit-and-run

Police seek Dolores man in hit-and-run

September 6, 2001

By Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

Police are on the lookout for a Dolores man accused of causing a serious motorcycle wreck on Lizard Head Pass over the Labor Day weekend.

Thirty-one-year-old Brian Tangren allegedly crossed over into oncoming traffic and struck a motorcyclist on Colorado Highway 145 Sunday afternoon. Tangren then reportedly abandoned his Toyota truck and fled the scene before authorities arrived, according to Colorado State Trooper Steve Keller.

The suspect was last seen getting into a white pickup or Blazer, according to eyewitnesses.

Daniel O’Neal, 36, of Arvada, sustained serious injuries when he and his Harley Davidson motorcycle were thrown 57 feet into a guardrail. The biker, who was wearing a helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle upon impact and landed a few feet from the bike in the northbound lane 9 feet from the guardrail point of impact.

O’Neal was airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Durango and later flown to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver, where he underwent surgery Wednesday.

Keller described the victim’s injuries as "serious but not life-threatening."

"He had severe injuries to his left leg and possibly was in need of amputation," Keller said.

Wednesday afternoon, O’Neal was in the intensive-care unit listed in serious condition with "multiple trauma," according to Beverly Johnson, spokesperson for St. Anthony’s. Johnson would not release information regarding the possibility of amputation.

Keller said Tangren was northbound and crossed over a double-yellow no-passing line for no apparent reason. O’Neal swerved to avoid a collision, but the pickup clipped the bike on the left-hand saddle bag.

The pickup truck, after hitting the motorcycle, went 58 feet down the northbound lane before it bounced off the guardrail, sending it across the roadway for another 127 feet and off the west side of the road," Keller said.

Another motorcyclist traveling behind O’Neal saw the crash and was able to relay the incident to authorities.

"Tangren left his truck at the scene and fled by getting into a white truck or Bronco-Blazer-type vehicle," Keller said.

It is unknown whether Tangren knew the driver of the vehicle he left in, or if the vehicles were traveling together.

"Tangren works in Telluride and he was coming home from work," Keller said. "Whether or not he was traveling with this person, we don’t know. Unfortunately, nobody saw him leave, they just saw him getting into the vehicle."

Tangren’s truck sustained minor damage and was not drivable following the wreck. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash, Keller said.

Law-enforcement attempts to locate Tangren were unsuccessful as of Wednesday afternoon.

"Now he’s being sought by us for hit-and-run causing serious injury," Keller stated. "He’s out and about somewhere."

A second motorcycle wreck was also reported on Colorado Highway 145 Sunday. Joseph Weyer, age and address unknown, sustained minor injuries when he drove his Harley Davidson motorcycle off the road near Rico, according to a spokesperson with the Durango office of the Colorado State Patrol.

Weyer reportedly refused medical attention.