Three injured in Tuesday collision

Three injured in Tuesday collision

Nov. 30, 2000

By Katharhynn Heidelberg
Journal Staff Writer

EMERGENCY PERSONNEL from numerous local agencies respond to a dramatic collision Tuesday morning that stopped traffic for hours on Highway 666.

A two-vehicle accident sent three men to the hospital at the start of Tuesday’s work day, and impeded traffic for several hours on Highway 666.

Scott Harder, 32, of Cortez was northbound on the highway when his 1991 Mustang collided with a pickup driven by David Amrine, 42, also of Cortez, Police Chief Roy Lane said Wednesday. The accident occurred at approximately 8:20 a.m., apparently as Amrine turned onto Highway 666 from County Road 25.

Harder, Amrine and a passenger in Harder’s vehicle, Tom Nez, 30, of Cortez, were all injured in the crash. Amrine’s 1969 GMC pickup took the brunt of the collision, although the Mustang also sustained major damage to its front end.

COLORADO STATE Patrol Trooper Steve Nowlin examines the wreckage at the accident Tuesday.

The crash shocked morning commuters. County resident Larry Hauser was southbound on Highway 666 when he observed "a big cloud of dust."

"I thought, ‘Somebody lost a bale of hay,’" Hauser said. Seconds later, he saw the wrecked vehicles, and "someone pulling on the passenger door of the car (driven by Harder)."

Area law-enforcement agencies, including the Cortez Police, Colorado State Patrol and Montezuma County Sheriff’s office, responded initially. The Cortez Fire Department later came to extricate the victims.

Officers remained on the scene for a few hours, directing traffic and conducting the investigation. Amrine was eventually issued a citation for careless driving causing bodily injury, Lane said.

The victims were transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital. Nez, who suffered pelvic fractures, was later airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where his condition was upgraded from guarded to stable on Wednesday.

Harder sustained a fractured femur and was admitted to SWMH. Amrine was also admitted to the hospital, with a fracture to the back. Both men were listed in good condition Wednesday evening, according to a hospital spokesperson.