One occupant in a four-door sedan who required extraction from their vehicle suffered serious injuries Thursday night following a head-on collision with a John Deere tractor near Yampa Valley Regional Airport, east of Hayden.

A 23-year-old Hayden male, who was driving the four-door sedan, was transported to UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs, according to Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gary Cutler.

The report of the accident came in at around 5:50 p.m., according to Trooper Cutler. An initial investigation from the crash says that excessive speed did not play a factor.

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According to Trooper Cutler, the 23-year-old male driving behind the tractor, driven by a 47-year-old Hayden male who had a 9-year-old juvenile in the cab with him. The tractor was traveling west on Highway 40 near mile marker 109 when it slowed to make a right turn, which the 23-year-old driver did not see, causing him to crash into the back end of the tractor, Trooper Cutler said.

Highway 40 was temporarily closed in both directions Thursday night to protect all of the first responders while they worked on the highway, extracting the occupant of the vehicle. Highway 40 reopened at approximately 7:09 p.m., Trooper Cutler said.

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“Please drive carefully as we make our way through the darkest part of the year,” the West Routt Fire Protection District said in a Facebook post Thursday night following the incident.

This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as they become available.

jcarney@craigdailypress.com