A driver was found dead in a creek after being involved in a single-car crash on Fremont County Road 67 early Tuesday morning.
Colorado State Patrol is investigating the crash that happened sometime overnight and was discovered by passers-by early Tuesday. CSP said a 2001 Dodge Ram was traveling southbound on Phantom Canyon Road when the driver missed a left turn causing the car to turn counter-clockwise.
CSP said the Dodge then went off the western edge of the road and traveled backwards down a steep embankment. The car kept moving backward before it rolled over end-over-end and became wedged between two boulders, upside down, approximately 8′ off the ground.
It is unknown when the driver was separated from the car, but he was found in a creek bed just southwest of the vehicle, CSP said. He was later identified as 19-year-old Jake Howlett.
Howlett did not appear to suffer any fatal injuries as a result of the crash, but may have been swept up by flash flooding in the area. CSP said it is unknown if he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
He was pronounced dead on scene, but an autopsy will determine cause of death.
Alcohol or drugs are not suspected to be contributing factors to the crash but that remains under investigation.
