By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A Sterling, Colorado, woman was arrested Sunday after driving the wrong way on Interstate 76 near Fort Morgan.
- Colorado State Patrol Trooper Talamantes located the wrong-way vehicle near mile marker 82 around 2:20 a.m. and used his patrol car to stop it head-on, preventing a collision with other traffic.
- The driver, identified as Claudia Z. Rodriguez, 36, was taken into custody on charges including DUI, reckless driving, open container and failure to provide valid insurance.
- Rodriguez was taken to a hospital before being booked into the Morgan County Jail; Talamantes was treated for minor injuries and released.
- The interstate was closed for the crash investigation and reopened around 6:43 a.m.
FORT MORGAN, Colo. — A Sterling woman was arrested early Sunday after driving the wrong way on Interstate 76, an incident a Colorado State Patrol trooper ended by using his cruiser to stop her vehicle, according to a CSP news release.
Troopers received reports around 2:20 a.m. of a red Honda HR-V traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-76 near Fort Morgan. Trooper Talamantes responded and located the vehicle near mile marker 82.
According to the release, Talamantes activated his emergency lights and used his patrol vehicle to stop the Honda by colliding with it head-on, an action CSP said was taken to prevent the vehicle from striking other traffic on the roadway.
Following the collision, Talamantes took the driver, identified as 36-year-old Claudia Z. Rodriguez, into custody on charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving, having an open container and failing to provide valid insurance. She was taken to a hospital before being booked into the Morgan County Jail.
Talamantes was also evaluated at a nearby medical facility, where he was treated for minor injuries and released, CSP said. The interstate was closed during the crash investigation and reopened at approximately 6:43 a.m.