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Man hospitalized after crash outside of Aspen

Staff report

Alcohol and excessive speed are suspected factors in an early Wednesday morning crash on Highway 82 that hospitalized a driver who was not discovered until more than two hours after the accident, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The single-vehicle rollover crash was reported to the State Patrol at 4:53 a.m. near milepost 44 just east of Aspen toward Independence Pass. But the crash was believed to have happened at approximately 2:30 a.m., when a 2003 Ford Ranger, driven by Derek S. Weber, 27, of Franktown, was traveling eastbound on Highway 82 when it drifted off the right side of the roadway, the patrol said.

“The vehicle then rolled approximately three and a half times, and came to rest on its roof,” the State Patrol said. “The crash reportedly went unnoticed for approximately two hours. The crash was later discovered with Mr. Weber found inside the vehicle, still strapped in by his seatbelt, with serious injuries.”



Authorities extricated Weber from the vehicle. He was first transported to Aspen Valley Hospital and later airlifted to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver.