At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 17, an all terrain vehicle collided with a semi-truck traveling southbound on Highway 491. The driver of the ATV was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Although the name was not been officially released, according to information obtained by the Journal, the deceased is 44-year-old Jim “Judd” Suckla. The driver of the semi-truck was “uninjured but taken to the hospital to be treated for shock,” according to Lieutenant of operations, Doug Parker from the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office. The incident is currently undergoing a “joint investigation” by the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado State Patrol, Parker said. The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office became aware of the situation after receiving a call from a concerned party at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. “The call from the family member reported that the victim was drinking and making suicidal threats,” Parker said. Dispatch was not given a name or location by the caller but the caller was encouraged to allow law enforcement to get involved, Parker said. A couple of hours after the call was received, the accident was reported and the Montezuma County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to assist Colorado State Patrol, Parker said. “Upon investigation at the scene, we were able to determine that the accident was related to the call,” Parker said. There is no toxicology report presently available and the accident report is in “review,” Parker said. “It is limited what I can release right now,” Parker said. “We need to make sure that the family members are treated in the best way possible concerning this accident.” Command Staff of Colorado State Patrol and the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office will review the official report today.
