Two Texas men killed in Colorado ATV crash, wives survive

An off-road vehicle rolled off a mountain road in southwestern Colorado last week, killing the two men in the front seats and injuring two women sitting behind them. 

The vehicle left the road in Arrastra Gulch on Monday, Aug. 3, about two miles east of Silverton, according to a social media post from Silverton Medical Rescue. It went down a steep embankment before coming to a stop on its side about 100 feet below the road.  

The vehicle was carrying two married couples from Texas, according San Juan County spokesperson DeAnne Gallegos. Both the husbands died at the scene. 

The Silverton Medical Rescue team constructed a technical rope system to safely bring two surviving patients back to the road.   

One woman was flown out by medical helicopter to Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, according to Silverton Medical Rescue. The other woman was transported by ground ambulance to the same facility.   

San Juan County Colorado Coroner Keri Metzler identified the two deceased men as Thaddeus Hanich from Comfort, Texas, and James Stout from Center Point, Texas. Public records indicate Hanich was 61 years old and Stout 70 years old.

Gallegos told CBS Colorado the group was riding in what is commonly called a side-by-side or utility terrain vehicle (UTV). At this time, the cause of the crash has not been determined and is still under investigation.