Three fatalities in Gladiator accident on Camp Bird Road near Ouray, CO

[NC_Overland]

We had to ram the rear end of vehicles into the walls making maybe 2-3 ft movements.

I had to do that in CO once. Kinda different, but I was on a shelf road up above the tree line. A normally easy trail west of CO Springs. I ran into snow in October and it got super slippery and that’s one of the most scared times I’ve ever been in a vehicle. There was no place to turn around and not much room for error and it was hundreds of feet down if we went over. I backed down as far as I could, but that was even more sketch. What I had to do was floor it in reverse in 4low into the hillside. It wasn’t a sheer cliff and it was looser rock. I was in my 2010 Pro-4X Xterra. Luckily, I only had some scratches on the bottom of the bumper. My hitch took most of it. Oh, yeah, I ripped off the mount for my trailer wiring, but I mounted it much better than the stupid factory afterthought mount.

I had three passengers and two dogs in my Xterra. I told everyone to get out.

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[NC_Overland]

Sometimes it makes sense to send a scout ahead on foot with a handheld radio to determine if the coast is clear.

True, but I’ve about been run over like that on foot in Ouray also. People are wild there. Maybe, I just had an extraordinarily high number of bd experiences there, but I never had issues in other places.

 

[mrmo]

WOW....thats hard core....sad

 

[JeffWithaJeep]

I have never been on any of those trails, but it's wide enough and doable for this size of recovery truck to bring the gladiator back up to the trail road? Not sure I would want to get that call.

 

[AEsco48]

I have driven this road in our Gladiator and my motorcycle 10+ times. The road is wide enough for a Jeep. If someone fell over the edge its because they choose to go close to the edge, unintentionally got to close to the edge or had to drive close to the edge due to other vehicles/hazards.

RIP

 

[FitfulGoat]

I have never been on any of those trails, but it's wide enough and doable for this size of recovery truck to bring the gladiator back up to the trail road? Not sure I would want to get that call.

That area does have a small pull out but a good portion is only wide enough for 1-2 vehicles. I would bet they had to close the entire road down to get that rig in there. There are sections where someone has to backup to allow the other car through on many trails in the area.

This type of recovery is also fairly common in this part of the state. I’ve seen these parked along Wolf Creek pass before and once saw them recover a big rig from the bottom.

 

[ColoradoDennis]

I have never been on any of those trails, but it's wide enough and doable for this size of recovery truck to bring the gladiator back up to the trail road? Not sure I would want to get that call.

Girardi’s has some of the most amazing towing/hauling/lifting equipment imaginable … and the skilled operators to match. If I were stuck in any “tough spot” in western Colorado or eastern Utah, I’d want Girardi’s to come and get me.

 

[Mike-len]

I am NEVER telling my wife about this...

Same here…we just bought a 22 Gladiator. And planning to head that direction next summer!

 

[RealMcCoy]

After reading this post, and follow up news postings it comes to my mind. First it is sad, more so is the fact they might have allowed a person unfamiliar with how that vehicle handled?

 

[DocMike]

It's really not a bad trail....
Something else happened here. Be curious if there were skid marks or what.
I shot these pics on Camp Bird.
Check the trailer.

I have never been on any of those trails, but it's wide enough and doable for this size of recovery truck to bring the gladiator back up to the trail road? Not sure I would want to get that call.

 

[NC_Overland]

I have never been on any of those trails, but it's wide enough and doable for this size of recovery truck to bring the gladiator back up to the trail road? Not sure I would want to get that call.

Whoever drove that up there had some balls. I wouldn’t even want to drive a full sized truck on most CO shelf roads. Not much margin for error.

 

[Klutch]

While I haven't driven that road, I've taken my Gladiator and an XJ on a lot of trails around Colorado. If you can't do shelf roads, you can't do the Rockies. Sure, some trails have more shelf areas than others, but it's pretty much a given there's going to be a shelf section somewhere.

I've also driven up and down the Pikes Peak Highway a few times. It didn't bother me at all, but I've talked with multiple people who wouldn't consider it or tried and had to turn back. I suppose it's a matter of perspective, but I'll take a shelf road over a freeway full of distracted clowns any day.

Sounds like the driver of this particular Gladiator was experienced and it was far from a treacherous trail. We will likely never know how it happened, but yeah, we should always be careful.

 

[NC_Overland]

While I haven't driven that road, I've taken my Gladiator and an XJ on a lot of trails around Colorado. If you can't do shelf roads, you can't do the Rockies. Sure, some trails have more shelf areas than others, but it's pretty much a given there's going to be a shelf section somewhere.

I've also driven up and down the Pikes Peak Highway a few times. It didn't bother me at all, but I've talked with multiple people who wouldn't consider it or tried and had to turn back. I suppose it's a matter of perspective, but I'll take a shelf road over a freeway full of distracted clowns any day.

Sounds like the driver of this particular Gladiator was experienced and it was far from a treacherous trail. We will likely never know how it happened, but yeah, we should always be careful.

Pikes peak doesn’t remotely bother me. What bothers me is when shelf roads get slippery and also off camber on shelf roads. I hate both.

 

[shokker70]

Reminds me of a trip I took to Montrose with a buddy. Wasn't in a Jeep, but was at least a 4X4. Some of those roads going up the mountains... No guard rails, just a nice steep drop to somewhere they might never find you. Started snowing and we heard that some of the roads had been closed. I think I could have shit a diamond a couple of times, my cheeks were clinched so tight.

Not to make light of a tragic situation. My best guess is a medical emergency.

 

[Dryfly24]

Stupid is what stupid does. Sympathy for stupidity?

Im glad they took out the trash. I just went through this guy’s posting timeline and it’s nothing but negative BS. He must be a joy to live with.

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