DENVER — A local artist believes driving his car off a cliff last week may be the reason he's still alive today.
Pat Milbery, a well-known muralist and professional snowboarder in Denver, said he was on his way over Red Mountain Pass in extreme conditions when a gust of wind wiped away his visibility on a snow-packed road.
“The gusts were about 70 miles an hour, blowing snow, and it completely took my vision,” Milbery said. “I felt my wheels, my left wheels of the car, going off the pass, and that’s when it got real.”
Milbery said he fell off the cliff by turning his skidding car straight over the edge. He believes this maneuver likely saved his car from rolling — and may have even saved his life.
“I knew I was going to be in for probably the wildest ride of my life,” he said. “I didn’t know what was underneath me, it was very unknown, but that unknown road is a lot greater than knowing if I roll my vehicle, chances are I’m dead.”
Milbery estimates he traveled more than 200 feet down the side of the mountain through heavy snow before hitting a tree and coming to rest.
His car is totaled, but Milbery said he walked away from the crash with just a few scratches.
He said his phone automatically alerted emergency responders to the crash after detecting it, and a good Samaritan ultimately gave him a ride to an event in Silverton in a car she had purchased that very same day.
Milbery said his experience is a good reminder to stay focused behind the wheel, especially in difficult driving conditions.
“There’s some things that are just so unexpected in life,” he said. “Somehow I’m here, and I’m so grateful.”
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