Sobering story

I poke my head now and then into the Wrangler TJ forum I frequented for 6 years prior to buying my 4R.

This was recently posted:

https://durangoherald.com/articles/349779

Sad to hear. How life can change in an instant...

 

Bad link.

 

Sorry. Fixed.

 

So sad, you never know what tomorrow is going to bring.

 

I saw it as well on the TJ Wrangler forum.

 

What sucks is right after you do the steps you think, "Whew, hard part done." Letting your guard down on the switchbacks is saddening to hear, because I felt that way until I got there and realized these might be even more scary in some ways.

I don't know if I'll ever do that trail again, and at this rate, it might be closed eventually due to safety anyways.

 

I agree. I wish there was some way to follow up to see if the 23-year old woman recovered from her injuries. Hopefully she will. At the very least, it's good she wasn't trapped inside the Jeep 'til the end.

 

Last report I read said the passenger was stable with serious but not life threatening injuries. Sounds like she (and the dogs) were very lucky.

 

Geez! That's awful! I never trust an E-brake! Always leave it in 1st or reverse.

Thank god she survived!

 

Wow, what a tragic accident! That Jeep looks pretty flat. I thought they had roll bars, but I guess Jeeps have never been especially safe vehicles. The testing regime for vehicles is designed to protect you in case of a shopping mall accident. It’s ridiculous.

 

They do have roll bars, and surprisingly, pretty good ones. As a person who's personally looked over that edge, it's hundreds of feet at a 75 degree incline, there isn't much most commerical rollbars would do.

 

Yeah, I agree, fajitas21. The roll bar must have become disconnected on the way down, because it isn’t even visible in a flattened state.

 

Might be a dumb question but what does that do?

 

At least part of it is still there, over the right rear wheel well. The rest just got tucked in as it collapsed.
Thin tubing weakened by the 5 piece design only made the fuel economy numbers go up.

 

Leaving a manual transmission in gear keeps the vehicle from rolling. The tires would have to force the motor to turn in order to move. I always did this as an added safety measure and because many of my earlier vehicles were old and the E-brake didn't work very well.

 

Roll bar looks to be there, just crumpled into the car. Crazy..

Picture was huge. Here is a the link that shows a few other pictures of the Jeep.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/37023...e-after-falling-off-colorados-black-bear-pass

 

Ah I see!
Thanks for explaining.

 

Video of the accident from a driver down the trail (who should be very grateful he was not a few seconds further down the trail):

https://youtu.be/2R5cLghSWGQ

 

That person came so close to being a casualty too, wow.

 

A rollbar/cage is designed to protect the occupants in the event of a rollover. It is usually rated for several times the vehicle weight in the event that gravity is assisted by multiplying force (i.e. a rollover at speed).

A rollbar will not make your car impervious to falling off of a cliff. This would have flattened any vehicle.

Hope everyone turns out ok.

 

Go to about 3:15.
https://youtu.be/2R5cLghSWGQ

 

Holy crap, that was close. All the best to the gal that was ejected.

 

The other crazy Black Bear Pass Video w/ Landslides. Feel free to jump to 10 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njLv3Q18KEU

 

100% never going to Black Bear Pass

 

I've done that trail several times. Don't need to go again, though.

 

Especially with all the 4Runner flops on that one section.
I'm 50/50 on it. My fear of heights comes and goes.

 

4Runners and FJ's aren't the only ones to flop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxcYOxG0fDY

 

I wrangled that road in '76 with a short bed Chevy 1/2 ton,completely stock. There really weren't "0ff road " tires then just summer or winter tires,since it was my work truck it had winter tires. It snowed and rained as I was going up Red Mountain Pass and I saw a road off to the left and took it. After looking at the map for a few seconds it looked like it might go to Telluride. It did! No traffic,not much for signage anywhere but it was a great ride.Only later did I find out it was good old Black Bear Pass.

 

The singer CW McCall did a song regarding that trail...surprisingly called Black Bear Pass. Good listen. His real name is Bill Friess & was at one time Mayor of Ouray.

 

I went on a Jeep Jamboree years ago, and on a trail ride up to Imogene in Ouray, CO, our group was at the top of the pass. A Jeep on its way down did the exact same thing. We watched as his left front tire went up the hill on the left, and his downward momentum flipped him over to the right. Not paying attention to where his wheels were going. Luckily, he just flopped over on his side, and didn't roll down the mountain...