Cañon City teen dies in crash Tuesday on Highway 115 in El Paso County
CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) is investigating a crash on Highway 115 Tuesday near Milepost 27 that left a teenager dead and two others injured.
Family members confirmed to KRDO Wednesday that the teen killed was Dakota Miller, 17.
The accident happened just before 12:30 p.m. in El Paso County, near the Fremont County line, in an area of a road construction project.
Miller's family returned to the crash scene Wednesday; father Ben Miller said that he was a passenger with Dakota in the car driven by Dakota's 16-year-old brother.
"We were on the way to Colorado Springs to eat at Dakota's favorite restaurant, Cracker Barrel," Ben Miller explained. "He had just gone elk hunting for the first time last week, with a bow and arrow that he saved up for."
Miller said that the family remembered Dakota Thursday by having breakfast at the restaurant, then having the males wear his caps -- and wearing them backwards.
The crash site is where a road construction project has continued for the past year; according to the CSP, the Nissan Xterra drove into two cones on the shoulder of the road; the driver then overcorrected and the car rolled up and down a steep embankment on the opposite shoulder before coming to a stop.
"What showed in the report is that it was an orange traffic cone-type device," said Trooper Gabriel Moltrer. "So, I'm not sure if it was construction barrels, cones or what may have been there."
Troopers said that Dakota's father and brother were transported to a local hospital with mild injuries, but Dakota was pronounced dead at the scene after being ejected from the car.
According to the CSP, speed, drugs, and alcohol are not considered factors at this time; neither passenger was wearing a seatbelt.
Dakota's family said that they're working on a memorial or similar public event this weekend to honor his memory.
"I think if he had the opportunity to give a message today, I think he would say live your life, follow your dreams and live with no regrets," said Ben Miller. "That was Dakota Miller. He was full of life, had the most beautiful smile, and he loved to hunt and fish. His happy place was out in the woods."
Relatives and friends gathered at the crash site Thursday, gathering remaining pieces of debris and wreckage; KRDO spoke with relatives who arrived from Pennsylvania Wednesday who asked for details.
Dakota was a home-school student who moved with his family to Cañon City from Colorado Springs in 2019; he leaves behind his parents, an older sister and two younger brothers.
The El Paso County Coroner's Office responded to the scene.
This is an ongoing investigation.
