Two deaths at Keystone Resort in three weeks, a semitruck rollover on Kenosha Pass, and a fatal hit-and-run fleeing to Commerce City mark the latest casualties on Colorado’s winter roads as the Colorado State Patrol investigates multiple incidents from January 17-23.
A male snowboarder from the Front Range died January 20 after crashing on Lower Go Devil, a black diamond run at Keystone Resort. He hit the snow “with force” while riding with friends, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Ski patrol transported him to Keystone Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. He was wearing a helmet. No trees, blunt objects, or other people were involved.
This marks the second death at Keystone this month. On January 7, a 59-year-old Westminster man died after being found unresponsive on The Grizz run in the resort’s Outback area. Both investigations remain ongoing, with the Summit County Coroner’s Office withholding identities and causes of death.
Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons offered condolences but provided no explanation for the pattern of deaths at a single resort in such a short timeframe.
A southbound semitruck jackknifed January 19 on U.S. 285 over Kenosha Pass, roughly 18 miles north of Fairplay. CSP received the call at 9:40 a.m. The truck rolled, leaking fuel that required hazmat cleanup. Both directions of U.S. 285 closed until approximately noon, with full reopening around 2 p.m. The driver reported no injuries. CSP Sgt. Ivan Alvarado confirmed the cause remains under investigation but offered no timeline.
In Commerce City, a woman died January 17 after the driver of her vehicle crashed into a parked RV on Interstate 270 around 7200 block late Friday night or early Saturday morning. The driver fled the scene, drove home with his passenger—who had suffered “grave injuries”—switched vehicles, then was pulled over for speeding by a CSP trooper while attempting to drive the woman to a hospital. Paramedics were unable to save her. Commerce City Police and CSP are investigating, but neither agency has identified the driver.
CSP released a tailgating safety campaign January 20, citing nearly 2,800 crashes caused by following too close in 2025, with more than 200 people injured or killed. The agency recommended staying calm and moving to safer positions on rural two-lane roads.
The pattern continues as Colorado’s mountain corridor enters peak winter conditions.
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