Rifle man dies in crash on I-70
A 22-year-old Rifle resident died in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 70 near Silt this past weekend.
Matthew Day was driving a 2007 Toyota pickup eastbound on I-70 near mile-marker 97 when the truck went off the right shoulder around 8 a.m., Colorado State Patrol reported later that day.
Day attempted to steer back onto the roadway, but went across the lanes of traffic and into the median. The vehicle began to roll in the median and Day, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected.
Day was declared dead on scene.
The passenger, a 25-year-old male from Glenwood Springs, was checked for minor injuries but was not hospitalized.
At the time, Colorado State Patrol said alcohol was being investigated as a possible factor. According to Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire, an autopsy performed Monday revealed Day had a blood alcohol content of .014 percent, well below the legal drinking limit. It also determined the presence of THC, the psychoactive constituent in marijuana. However, the level of THC is yet to be determined and its presence does not mean he was impaired at the time, Glassmire said.
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