{"id":94854,"date":"2019-04-01T17:29:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T23:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/fort-lewis-college-student-rolls-suv-on-molas-pass\/"},"modified":"2019-04-01T17:29:57","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T23:29:57","slug":"fort-lewis-college-student-rolls-suv-on-molas-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/fort-lewis-college-student-rolls-suv-on-molas-pass\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Lewis College student rolls SUV on Molas Pass"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis College senior Bridgett Gantt escaped serious injury after her Nissan Xterra rolled eight to 10 times down a 150-foot embankment on Molas Pass. Gantt returned to the vehicle for her school materials.<\/span>Courtesy of Rod Gantt<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A 22-year-old Fort Lewis College student escaped with minor injuries early Sunday after rolling her SUV eight to 10 times down a 150-foot embankment on Molas Pass.<\/p>\n

Bridgett Gantt crawled out of her demolished car on her own and hiked up the embankment to find help, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe made a lot of really smart decisions,\u201d said her uncle, Rod Gantt, who lives in the Ignacio area.<\/p>\n

Bridgett Gantt was driving a Nissan Xterra south on U.S. Highway 550, returning to Durango from Ouray about 5 a.m., when she drove into a blinding snowstorm that obscured her view of the highway, she said. She slowed down to about 25 mph and turned on her all-wheel drive, she said.<\/p>\n

Without realizing it, Gantt crossed into the northbound lane of traffic and approached the side of the road. She tried to correct the vehicle\u2019s path, but it was too late, and she slid off the side of the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe snow was so slick my car just spun and slid sideways,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

It felt like it came to a stop against a small snowdrift about a foot high at the side of the road and she reached for her gearshift to reverse the car, she said. Then the car tilted and started to roll.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like my eyes were open the whole time seeing my stuff rolling around in my car \u2013 feeling like I was falling forever,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The car rolled eight to 10 times before coming to a stop less than a mile from Lime Creek Road, Rod Gantt said.<\/p>\n

\"Bridgett
Bridgett Gantt and her aunt hike down to Gantt\u2019s SUV, which tumbled eight to 10 times early Sunday before coming to rest at the bottom of a 150-foot embankment on Molas Pass.<\/span>Courtesy of Rod Gantt<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The side airbags in the Xterra deployed immediately after she hit the embankment of snow, likely saving her life, Rod Gantt said.<\/p>\n

Once the vehicle stopped, she tried to call 911, but she didn\u2019t have any service, she said.<\/p>\n

So, she collected herself, gathered some ski gear and water she had in the car and rolled down one of the windows to crawl out.<\/p>\n

She dressed herself in ski boots, helmet, a light jacket, a blanket and a rain poncho. She also splinted one of her fingers with materials from a first-aid kit.<\/p>\n

Using her phone, she shot a video of all the steps she took because it helped her keep calm and talk herself through her situation, she said.<\/p>\n

When she got out of the car and looked up at the road, she could see nothing but darkness and realized that it was unlikely any passing driver would see her, she said. So she decided to climb the embankment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t let myself get hysterical until everything was better, and then I could cry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Once she got to the highway, she started walking and kept the flashlight on her phone on, so that drivers would be able to see her, she said. She was a bit worried that drivers wouldn\u2019t stop to help her in her strange garb.<\/p>\n

It took only about five minutes for a father and son, Kevin and Jason Ebelheiser, to stop for her. It was then, when she knew she was safe, she started crying, she said. The two were on their way to the Durango-La Plata County Airport and dropped her off at Mercy Regional Medical Center, she said.<\/p>\n

Her pinkie had a hairline fracture and she received minor cuts and bruises in the wreck, but otherwise, she was unharmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back on it now, it feels like a dream,\u201d she said Monday.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, she talked with a Colorado State Patrol trooper who planned to investigate the scene. She doesn\u2019t know if she will get a ticket, she said.<\/p>\n

Rod Gantt and his wife, Joanne, met their niece at the hospital after hearing about the crash, he said. They also took her back to her car to retrieve her homework.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just so proud of her, how she handled the whole thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

mshinn@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This story was updated with comments from Bridgett Grant. Her age, the description of her injury and other details about the crash were corrected. An earlier version of this story misspelled Kevin and Jason Ebelheiser\u2019s last name.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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