Fruita, CO : Two local men killed in car accident in Mesa County on Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Two Mesa County men died on River Road just west of the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant early Wednesday when the pickup truck they were in hit a patch of ice and careened into a telephone poll, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The men, whose identities have not been released pending notification of next of kin, were heading west when the driver lost control of the blue Chevrolet 1500 at about 8:15 a.m. near Kedrowski Court, Trooper Daniel Chermok said.

The vehicle then slammed into a telephone poll, cutting out about a 6-foot section that struck the top of the cab, crushing much of it, particularly on the driver’s side.

“It slid off the road, and as it was going down the embankment, the front right tire hitched in the dirt and it rolled halfway,” Chermok said. “As it was rolling, it collided with the power poll. That forced it back over and kind of twisted it around and forced it back onto its wheels.”

While there was a heavy fog in the area at the time, it was the “sheet of ice” on the roadway that caused them to lose control of the vehicle, said Chermok, adding he had no idea how fast the vehicle was traveling.

He said the road was still extremely slippery when he arrived on the scene, noting he could barely stand up on the road.

The men were not wearing seat belts.

“That’s the number one thing,” Chermok said. “To keep people alive no matter the circumstances is to have your seat belts on.”

The two men died at the scene, he said. Fire crews had to be called in to pry open the doors to remove the men, who were taken away by the Mesa County Coroner’s Office.

The State Patrol closed River Road between Railroad Boulevard and 21 Road for several hours, diverting traffic onto U.S. Highway 6&50.

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Two local men killed in car accident