Rollover incident at Guanella Pass causes traffic jam in tourism | News

Due to a rollover accident at the Guanella Pass, hundreds of cars were delayed for several hours on Saturday.

A white Toyota Highlander had rolled onto its side and was blocking traffic in both directions. The vehicle was located north of the Abyss Trailhead on the pass, south of the summit of Guanella Pass, toward US 285.

The incident occurred at the height of the fall foliage season, when hundreds of tourists flock to the pass to catch the scenic views and Colorado's aspen leaves changing colors throughout the season.

According to the Clear Creek Sheriff's Office, the incident was first reported at 8:52 a.m. Saturday and traffic was partially blocked until 9:36 a.m. The office declined to provide further details, citing an ongoing Colorado State Patrol accident investigation.

“I can't figure out how this happened,” said a Reddit user named u/xzzy. “At first I thought they messed up parking on the shoulder and went over the tipping point, but the marks on the asphalt suggest they hit something in the road, rolled over, and were then thrown into the layby. This was well after the accident, just before 2 p.m.”

The user shared this video of the overturned vehicle on social media:

Guanella Pass is a scenic byway and high mountain highway that connects Interstate 70 with US Highway 285 between the cities of Georgetown and Grant, Colorado. In the fall, when the leaves change color, there is a high volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic due to outdoor tourism.

It is unclear if any injuries occurred in the incident. The Colorado State Patrol is still “actively” investigating the incident but has not yet released any details of the investigation.

The Denver Gazette reached out to Colorado State Patrol officials on Sunday but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

This is an evolving story.