A 23-year-old Washington woman died in a two-vehicle crash early Monday in southern Colorado.
The Colorado State Patrol says Ellie Mischaikow, of Bellingham, Wash., was pronounced dead at the scene after driving a 2006 Jeep Liberty into oncoming traffic and the path of a 1996 Peterbuilt tractor-trailer.
The wreck happened just before 6 a.m. on U.S. 160 in Costilla County, one mile east of Fort Garland.
The driver of the semi was taken to San Luis Valley Medical Center in Alamosa, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.
“Mischaikow and (the semi’s diver) both had seat belts on at the time of the crash,” the State Patrol said in a crash bulletin. “The crash remains under
investigation, but it appears that Mischaikow may have fallen asleep.”
Speed, alcohol and drugs are not considered factors in the crash, investigators say.
Mischaikow was working at the , a 103,000-acre bison and guest ranch located on the eastern wall of the San Luis Valley and operated by the Nature Conservancy.
