Authorities have identified the two people killed Wednesday afternoon , saying alcohol appears to be a factor in the wreck.
The crash happened about 5:30 p.m. on a dirt section of Old Stage Road, about six miles from where the paved road ends. It also hurt three others, at least one of whom has serious injuries.
Kelby Engleen, 21, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Jacob Busch, 33, of Colorado Springs, were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
Investigators say Wyatt Beaman, a 22-year-old from Colorado Springs, was driving a 2001 Jeep Cherokee southbound on Old Stage Road when he failed to negotiate a curve. The Jeep ran off the right side of the road and down a ravine, ejecting three of the people inside.
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Horrible fatal crash on Old Stage Rd
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Beaman was wearing a seatbelt, the State Patrol says, and was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. Two of his passengers, passengers 31-year-old Matt Orrell, of Colorado Springs, and 22-year-old Sydney Neubauer, of Ogden, Iowa, also were hospitalized.
Two people were taken to medical care by ambulance and a third by helicopter, officials said.
Old Stage Road winds around Cheyenne Mountain southwest of Colorado Springs. It often hugs steep cliffs and is a popular area for outdoors enthusiasts.
“Alcohol use is being considered as a contributing factor in the crash,” the State Patrol said in a Thursday morning news release. “However, the crash remains under investigation.”
