The treacherous Black Bear Pass in Telluride, Colorado, was the scene of a terrible accident. A woman inside of the Wrangler was thrown as the Jeep tumbled down the steep mountain with a puppy inside. She received serious spinal injuries and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help with expenses. Had she not been thrown from the spinning Wrangler she would most assuredly have been killed. 

The Jeep Wrangler was parked on the trail for the driver to help navigate another Jeep through a difficult portion of the trail. With the woman and puppy inside the Jeep popped out of gear. The parking brake failed as well according to the Telluride News. The driver tried to get back to the Jeep but was thrown off into some rocks as it began to roll down the embankment according to the San Miguel County Sheriff’s office. 

At the second switchback, the woman was thrown from the Wrangler

The Wrangler fell past six switchbacks before landing on a flat road below. At the second switchback, the woman was thrown from the Jeep. The YouTube video was filmed by a dashcam in another off-road vehicle as the Jeep twisted down the mountain directly in front of them. You can see how violently the Wrangler tossed and spun as it rolled down the steep bank. 

Dozens of calls were received by local authorities who rushed to the pass. Paramedics attended to the seriously injured woman before transporting her to the Telluride Medical Center. From there she was flown to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. The driver was treated for minor injuries at the Telluride Medical Center he received trying to stop the Jeep. 

The JK looks like it was smashed flat from the fall

The San Miguel County Sheriff’s office reports that the puppy did not receive injuries and is doing well. As can be seen, the Wrangler looks like it was smashed flat from the fall. The woman would have certainly been killed and it is a miracle the puppy was not crushed. It is almost unrecognizable as a vehicle. 

Some questions are being raised like why did the Wrangler pop out of gear? And why didn’t the emergency parking brake work? It does not appear to be an older Jeep so it is assumed everything should have been in working order. 

It is common for JK Wrangler six-speed manual transmissions to pop out of gear

There are a lot of Jeep forums that tackle the seemingly common problem of JK six-speed manual transmissions popping out of gear. Low fluid, worn synchronizers, or shift linkage in need of adjustment are all common reasons for transmissions popping out of gear. Also, a broken engine and/or transmission mounts can also cause the linkage to work improperly.

From The Drive comes word a GoFundMe page has been set up to help defray medical costs for the young woman in the Wrangler. Check it out and help a fellow off-road enthusiast get back to health.