GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—A section of Colorado 139 has reopened on the Western Slope after a two-vehicle accident that left one person dead.
Grand Junction Fire Department spokesman Mike Page says the highway reopened at Douglas Pass at about 11:30 p.m. Monday after being closed for some 15 hours.
The closure came after a semitrailer hauling coal collided with a pickup carrying hydrochloric acid at 8:45 a.m. Monday, about 18 miles north of Loma.
Family members say 59-year-old Keith Shearwood was driving the coal truck and died in the crash.
Hazardous materials teams from the Grand Junction and Lower Valley Fire Department worked with the Colorado Department of Transportation to contain up to 600 gallons of hydrochloric acid.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
