Boulder County, Colo. -

On Monday, December 8, 2025, at approximately 6:30 p.m., the Boulder County Communications Center received a report of a vehicle that drove off Highway 119 near mile marker 26.6 and came to rest in Barker Reservoir. The occupant self-extricated and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Colorado State Patrol investigated the accident.

Boulder Emergency Squad (BES) coordinated with Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services on how best to recover the vehicle. Due to poor weather conditions, a sonar reconnaissance mission was delayed until December 12, but was successful in locating the vehicle.

On Sunday, December 14 at 9:00 a.m. a multi-agency mission was conducted to recover the vehicle. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) blocked one lane of Highway 119 at Barker Reservoir to allow Reliable Towing’s heavy wrecker with a boom and other equipment access to the scene. Dive rescuers from BES and Boulder Fire were able to attach tow straps to the submerged vehicle, which was then attached to the tow truck. The vehicle was out of the water and onto a flatbed truck by approximately 2:40 p.m. and Highway 119 was fully open by 3:00 p.m.

Agencies assisting included: Boulder Emergency Squad, Boulder Fire Dive Rescue, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Transportation, Nederland Fire Protection District, and Reliable Towing.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number was 25-5899.

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/s/ Emergency Services – Candice Bott