Highway 40 fatality marks third such crash in 2 months
A Craig woman was killed in an accident on U.S. Highway 40 at around 5:55 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23 according to Colorado State Patrol, marking the third fatal crash in the last two months.
The woman was identified as 65-year-old Tracy Sheldon by the Routt County Coroner.
According to Colorado State Patrol, Sheldon was driving eastbound on U.S. 40 when the vehicle began driving off the road’s south side.
The vehicle then swerved back onto the road, rotated counter-clockwise, and rolled two times across both lanes, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
After rolling, the vehicle continued off the north side of the road into an embankment, where it stopped on its wheels facing westbound.
The crash is the third to result in a fatality in the last two months.
On Dec. 5, an 87-year-old man from Craig and his 57-year-old daughter-in-law were killed in a crash involving a semi-truck near mile marker 81, west of Craig.
Only one month prior, on Nov. 5, a 38-year-old man from Craig was killed in a three-car accident at mile marker 118 west of Milner as a result of icy road conditions.
U.S. Highway 40 in Routt and Moffat counties saw a total of four fatal crashes, resulting in six fatalities, according to Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Analyst Unit’s Crash and Contact Map.
This number is two fewer than last year, with six fatal crashes, resulting in seven total fatalities.
Both years are a jump in comparison to previous years, with only one fatal crash in the counties in both 2021 and 2022.
The map indicates most fatal crashes occur between Steamboat Springs and Craig, often west of Milner.
According to the Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Analyst Unit’s Crash and Contact Map, about 22 crashes of the approximately 113 total crashes reported on U.S. 40 in Routt and Moffat counties resulted in moderate to severe injury in 2024.
In comparison, around 26 crashes of the approximately 135 crashes reported resulted in moderate to severe injury in 2023.
However, the map only accounts for at-fault drivers and vehicles.
According to the map, most crashes occur due to speed, inattentive driving, icy road conditions, or lane violations.
Of the total crashes reported in Routt and Moffat counties in 2024, February had the highest number of crashes between Steamboat Springs and Craig in a single month, with around 12 crashes total, according to the Vehicular Crimes Analyst Unit’s Crash and Contact Map.
January, March and November have the second highest incident rate with an average of about 10 crashes within the months.

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