On October 10, 2023 at approximately 7:45 pm, Fort Collins Police were notified of a serious collision between an SUV and a motorcycle at the intersection of Windmill Drive and West Horsetooth Road. When officers arrived on scene, they located the single rider of the motorcycle, an adult male, in the eastbound lanes of Horsetooth Road with life-threatening injuries. Life-saving measures were attempted but unfortunately were unsuccessful. The rider was pronounced deceased at the scene. Due to the collision being a fatality, the Fort Collins Police CRASH (Collision Reconstruction and Scene Handling) Team responded to take over the investigation.

Due to the size of the crash scene, eastbound Horsetooth Road was closed at Shields Street, and westbound Horsetooth Road was closed at Manhattan Avenue. The investigation to this point has revealed that a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee was going southbound on Windmill Drive and had stopped for the stop sign at Horsetooth Road. The Jeep began to make a left hand turn to go eastbound on Horsetooth Road when the collision occurred with a westbound 2008 Honda CBR600 motorcycle. The collision caused the Jeep to spin and come to rest facing westbound. The motorcycle came to rest in the eastbound lanes of Horsetooth Road. Police are investigating if speed was a factor in the collision.

“Tonight was a tragic night for multiple families and people. Our thoughts are with those who this event impacted, including the witnesses and first responders who arrived at the scene. We ask all motorists to obey traffic regulations to hopefully reduce the number of these heart wrenching cases,” said Sergeant Mike Avrech who oversees the Fort Collins Police CRASH Team.

Horsetooth Road was closed in between Shields and Manhattan for approximately 5 hours while investigators processed the scene. Anyone with information who has not already spoken to police or may have video of the incident to include this stretch of Horsetooth is asked to call Officer Matt Brede at (970) 221-6842.