1 DEAD AS BIG RIG WITH SMOKING BRAKES PLUNGES OFF WOLF CREEK PASS

A trucker died Monday when his big rig - spewing smoke from overheated brakes - careened off Wolf Creek Pass in western Colorado in a ghastly crash.

The treacherous mountain pass - at an elevation of almost 11,000 feet - is on the Continental Divide, and the Freightliner hauling canned drinks "hit the barrier wall on the right side and bounced off," the state patrol said.

"The semi rolled through the guardrail on the left side of the roadway down a steep embankment," the state patrol said. "Both the cab and trailer were destroyed rolling down the mountain.

"The driver, a 23-year-old male from New York, was not immediately located amid the large debris scene down the mountain," the state patrol said. "He was later found and was pronounced dead; it was confirmed that he had been ejected from the cab.

"The semi’s trailer split open prior to rolling down the side of the mountain and spilled its cargo on the roadway. CDOT used a plow to clear the roadway of the cargo and debris

"The initial investigation revealed that the semi was traveling at an excessive speed, with smoke coming from the brakes, and that the driver failed to take the runaway truck ramp 1.5 miles before the crash."

The crash site - along Highway 130 - is 17 miles north of Pagosa Springs, before the scenic overlook, the state patrol said. 

In 1975, Wolf Creek Pass was made famous by country music artist C.W. MaCall's song of the same name, which described it as "37 miles o' hell."

[Photo: Colorado State Patrol]