A motorist was killed this afternoon when his car went off the side of U.S. 6 west of Golden and rolled down an embankment into Clear Creek.
The 2004 Chevrolet coupe landed on its top, and rescuers found the driver and a female passenger in the creek, said Trooper Gilbert Mares, spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and the passenger, who suffered minor injuries, was taken by ambulance to St. Anthony Central Hospital, Mares said.
The incident closed U.S. 6 as authorities worked to retrieve the vehicle from the creek and determine the cause of the accident. The highway was reopened at about 5 p.m.
Also today, officials said 41 law-enforcement agencies throughout Colorado had made 362 DUI arrests since a stepped-up campaign of holiday enforcement against drunken driving began last Friday.
The campaign ends Thursday.
Motorists can report drunken and aggressive drivers by calling *277, a free cellphone call, State Patrol officials said.
