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Family wakes up to a carnage of cars

Vehicle leaves U.S. 160, damages five parked cars
Investigators on the scene of a multicar accident Friday. One car apparently left the highway, crossed Railroad Ave. and came to rest just outside the yard of this house, narrowly missing the Mancos Skate Park. The driver was transported to the hospital for injuries. Five parked cars were damaged during the accident. The accident remains under investigation.

Two families woke up early Friday morning to find almost all their cars they had parked the night before in their driveways had been damaged.

The accident occurred early Friday morning when out-of-control vehicle, driven by Brooke Rule, 21, of Cortez, was westbound on U.S. Highway 160 in Mancos.

The 2008 Ford Edge left the road, went over the median, through a ditch, through a fence, over another ditch along Railroad Avenue, hit some parked vehicles, went through a rock fence around a yard and eventually came to rest near the Mancos Skate Park.

Four vehicles parked in driveways were damaged by collisions by the out-of-control vehicle, said Mancos Town Marshal John Cox. The fifth parked car was damaged after the vehicle went through an ornamental fence, mostly made out of metal wagon-type wheels and river rocks cemented together.

"Some of the rocks were thrown up and hit the fifth vehicle," Cox said.

The Mancos Marshal's Office called in the Colorado Highway Patrol to help research the accident because of the large number of vehicles involved and the high number of collision points. The diagram drawn at the scene was impressive.

Cox said excessive speed may have been a factor in the accident, but the case is still under investigation. Cox said the department is awaiting toxicology results.

According to Cox, there were no tire marks in the frontyard of the house with the rock fence, so the vehicle may have become airborne for a bit before stopping just before the skate park.

The driver of the vehicle was transported to a hospital, treated and released.

"There was a metal railroad tie that went through the engine compartment and went through her leg," Cox said.

The first vehicle that the out-of-control vehicle struck was a maroon-colored SUV, and it was that SUV that was spun around 180 degrees and hit the other parked cars in the driveway.

"We are still waiting for results of the investigation," Cox said.

So far, there are no witnesses to the crash, which occurred at 12:40 a.m. Friday, Cox said.