A 24-year-old Denver man was left in critical condition Saturday morning after his motorcycle went off a bridge on State Highway 83 and he fell roughly 60 feet into Castlewood Canyon below. The crash shut down the highway in both directions for about 90 minutes as rescue crews worked to pull him up from the canyon floor and load him onto a waiting medical helicopter.
According to CBS Colorado, the man was riding a white Aprilia motorcycle northbound on Highway 83 around 9:30 a.m. when he crashed on the bridge over Castlewood Canyon and went over the edge. Colorado State Patrol reported that no other vehicles were involved in the crash. The motorcycle itself stayed behind on the highway, blocking one lane of traffic, while the rider fell into the canyon.
Franktown Fire Department crews arrived to find the man in serious condition and faced what CBS Colorado described as a lengthy and complicated rescue. Crews performed an extended extrication using ropes to haul the injured rider up to the roadway and over to the helicopter, department spokesperson Kim Spuhler told the outlet. Spuhler said the rider was believed to be in critical condition by the time the helicopter lifted off, carrying him to a metro area hospital.
A Historic Bridge With a Steep Drop
The span where the crash happened is no ordinary overpass. Built in 1948, the Highway 83 bridge over Cherry Creek and Castlewood Canyon features two 46-foot-deep concrete arches stretching 232 feet across the gorge, according to research from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. The bridge was once nicknamed the “bridge to nowhere” because Highway 83 remained unpaved south of the canyon for nearly two decades after it was completed.
The drop itself is part of Castlewood Canyon State Park, a 2,628-acre park in Douglas County known for Cherry Creek and vertical caprock canyon walls reaching up to 60 feet high, per Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The park sits about five miles south of Franktown off Highway 83 and is a popular local spot for hiking and rock climbing.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies assisted Colorado State Patrol at the scene by managing traffic control, closing Highway 83 in both directions from Franktown to the entrance of the state park until reopening the road around 11:10 a.m., the sheriff's office said in real-time alerts. Franktown Fire is one of 10 distinct fire protection districts operating within Douglas County, and it maintains specialized apparatus for heavy extrication and technical rescues, according to the RadioReference Wiki.
Investigation Continues as Highway Reopens
Colorado State Patrol trooper Hunter Mathews added that the motorcycle was found blocking one lane of traffic, and troopers continue to investigate the crash scene. Highway 83 has since reopened in all lanes, but what caused the rider to lose control on the bridge remains unclear, and it is not yet known whether he was wearing a helmet.
Under Colorado Revised Statute § 42-4-1502, helmets are legally required only for motorcycle operators and passengers under 18, leaving the choice optional for adult riders like the 24-year-old involved in this crash, per the Colorado General Assembly. That distinction carries weight statewide: Colorado Department of Transportation safety data shows that 49% of motorcyclists killed on state roads over the five years leading into 2026 were not wearing a helmet.
Part of a Deadly Stretch for Colorado Riders
Saturday's crash adds to a grim run of motorcycle incidents on this stretch of Highway 83 in 2026. Just a month earlier, on July 30, a 28-year-old Denver woman was killed in a motorcycle collision along Highway 83 at Shoup Road after an alleged DUI driver turned into her path — a case Hoodline previously reported that resulted in felony vehicular homicide charges.
The corridor has also seen deadlier multi-victim crashes in recent months, including a fatal five-victim collision near Franktown that drew scrutiny over the suspect's parolee status. Statewide, the numbers paint a troubling picture: Colorado recorded a record-high 165 motorcycle fatalities in 2024, representing 24% of all traffic deaths despite motorcycles making up just 3% of registered vehicles, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. This year opened even more grimly, with 15 motorcycle deaths in the first three months of 2026 marking the state's deadliest opening quarter for riders since 2017, before the toll eased to 28 by June 1 — a 24% drop from the same period in 2025, per The Colorado Sun. Transportation officials have pointed to unseasonably warm winter weather early in the year for pushing more riders onto the roads ahead of schedule.
