An 18-year-old Cañon City woman was seriously injured Saturday after her vehicle braked hard, veered off the shoulder and tumbled 234 feet down the west side of Skyline Drive near mile marker 277. The crash prompted a closure of the scenic mountain route while investigators worked to determine what caused the vehicle to leave the road.
Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to the report of a single-vehicle crash on Colo. 50 near mile marker 277, according to Canon City Daily Record. The unidentified 18-year-old was traveling southbound on Skyline Drive when the car braked aggressively, went off the right shoulder, struck a tree and flipped sideways before rolling down the slope, the outlet reported. She was transported to CommonSpirit St. Thomas More Hospital with serious injuries.
A Steep, Sudden Plunge Down the Mountainside
The vehicle came to rest on its wheels after tumbling 234 feet down the west side of the drive, per the same account. Detectives suspected a possible rockslide may have played a role in the crash, though that detail remains part of an ongoing investigation. Alcohol was also described as a possible contributing factor, but that too was unconfirmed and still under review, the report noted.
Skyline Drive remained closed while detectives worked the crash scene, and officials said the road would stay shut until it could be evaluated for safety. The narrow, cliffside route winds along a ridge overlooking Cañon City and has drawn scrutiny before after other vehicles left its pavement under different circumstances.
Not the First Rollover on This Stretch
In July 2020, an 18-year-old female driver was thrown from her vehicle in a separate rollover crash on Skyline Drive and suffered serious injuries, according to KRDO. That vehicle also went off the west side of the drive, coming to rest near Highway 50. More recently, in June 2025, another vehicle left the roadway and traveled partially down the side of Skyline Drive, with the driver transported with unknown injuries while the Fremont County Sheriff's Office called the matter an active investigation.
