Fort Morgan, CO : Car crashes off I-76 overpass due to unconscious driver on Thursday morning, April 28, 2016

Morgan County Sheriff's deputies responded to a serious car accident on I-76 Thursday morning when a driver became unconscious at the wheel.

A car was reported to be driving erratically near mile marker 78 on eastbound I-76 just before 9 a.m., sheriff Jim Crone said. Deputy sheriff Kipp Hoffman responded, and another patrol car quickly joined him. The car was driving slightly below the speed limit, weaving across all lanes of traffic, and drove off the right side of the road twice, only to get back on again. When it drove into the grassy median between the east and west highways, Hoffman drove after it, trying to block the car from going into oncoming traffic. He noticed that the male driver appeared to be unconscious at the wheel. When the car reached the overpass where the highway crosses Morgan County Road 22, it vaulted over the side and crashed into the road below. Hoffman was able to stop in time to avoid falling.

Crone said he believes the driver, who was from the Denver metro area, was experiencing "some kind of medical event" that caused him to lose consciousness and control of the vehicle. As of Thursday morning, he was in critical condition. No further details about the driver's identity or injuries were available at the time.

Since there appears to have been no crime involved with the accident, Colorado State Patrol Troop 3B will take over the investigation from the sheriff's office.

"We've responded to medical events happening with drivers in the past...but I've never seen one like this," Crone said.

He said it's not clear why the car didn't stop earlier, though the driver may have had the cruise control on. Traffic was not affected by the pursuit and accident, which only lasted about two minutes from the time the car was reported to the time it crashed. Crone expressed gratitude that the car didn't drive into oncoming traffic in the westbound highway.

"If it went into the other lane, we could have had a really horrific situation," he said.

Source :
Car crashes off I-76 overpass Thursday due to unconscious driver