One teenager is sent to the hospital and another one is dead after their pickup truck careened off Highway 285 Thursday night and plunged 137 feet down the embankment.

John Bigler, 15, from Conifer was pronounced dead at the scene. Nolan Shaber, 17, from Indian Hills, was taken to Swedish Medical Center. His condition has not been released.

It is not known who was driving at the time.

The accident happened at 7:20 p.m. on Highway 285 at Richmond Hill Road. The teens were traveling southbound when their Toyota pickup truck apparently lost control and went off a steep embankment. The two boys were ejected from the cab because neither was wearing a seat belt, police said.

The highway was shut down for 90 minutes in order to allow the medical helicopter to land. Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions.

The accident happened where two southbound, downhill lanes merge into one on a right-hand curve. Residents in the area have criticized that stretch of highway as a safety hazard, especially since the recent construction project removed the signal lights, which they said, had caused traffic coming down the mountain to slow down. Now there is nothing stopping some drivers from going 60 mph in the 45 mph zone, residents told 7NEWS.

There have been several fatal accidents in this area since the beginning of spring, 7NEWS reported. The last fatal crash in the area, on June 2, killed a motorcyclist. The accident occurred at 9 a.m.