Ute Trail CR2 between Chaffee County and Fremont County has seen its share of traffic incidents over the past few years. Another accident on Monday on the Fremont County side of Ute Trail – Route 2, just over the border from Chaffee, sent a motorcyclist to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs with serious injuries.
Deer Mountain Emergency services attend to the motorcycle accident victim on CR2, Ute Trail on Monday. Photo by Sandy Hobbs.
Deer Mountain Ambulance responded to the incident, which occurred around 11:45 a.m. Mon. July 26, when the rider hit a section of deep mud on the poorly-maintained road, just north of the aptly-named Snot Hill. The area, which is near Everett’s Cow Cabin on a high meadow cattle grazing area, has no cell service. Doris and Doug Walker, who were at that cattle cabin, came further south on the road to Dr. Alison Brown’s property where cell service was used to call 911.
Fremont County emergency services responded, and Flight for Life was called, to transport Christopher McLaughlin to Colorado Springs for treatment. He had surgery on his left arm that day, and another surgery on the arm is scheduled for tomorrow.
The California man was on a cross-country trip with his friend Andy Martinez. “They told us they were on day 10 of their trip from Baja, California to the Canadian border,” said Salida resident Sandy Hobbs, who was visiting Brown and placed the 911 call. ” They hit the mud just past Snot Hill. With all the rain, it’s real muddy – real slippery up here. He was injured and had broken bones. But he was well protected, and they were wearing safety vests.”
Reached by phone on Wednesday at McLaughlin’s bedside, Martinez said “We got to a beautiful spot and then this happened. I’m ending the trip, but I’m planning to go up to Rawlins (WY) on U.S. 24 before I-80, so I can get a little more of the trip in. Maybe we can do it next year.”
Hobbs said that local residents have learned that getting emergency services up Ute Trail can normally take hours, but in this case, Fremont County responded fairly quickly, and the Flight for Life helicopter touched down about 2:00 p.m. to transport him to the hospital.
Featured image: The load out of the accident victim on CR2, Ute Trail, onto Flight for Life, which transported him to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. Photo by Sandy Hobbs.
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