Colorado officials for driver caution after 'alarming' uptick in struck-by crashes

Jan. 27—On a snowy early morning last week, Colorado State Patrol trooper Cameron Gill was on the scene of a one-car crash in the Denver metro area. Not a minute after exiting his vehicle to speak to another first responder on scene, a vehicle smashed into the back of Gill's patrol vehicle.

The driver had disregarded pre-warning devices set up a quarter of a mile ahead of the crash in the westbound lanes of C470 at Santa Fe Drive. Attempting to pass other vehicles, the driver lost control, entered the closed toll lane and struck the trooper vehicle that was — thankfully — unoccupied.

The driver who caused the crash was left with "bumps and bruises" and was cited for the "Move Over, Slow Down" law, according to Gill, who only graduated from the Colorado State Patrol Academy in April of last year. The law requires drivers to move over and slow down when approaching not only police cars, fire trucks and ambulances, but also tow trucks and maintenance vehicles.

"It's definitely jaw-dropping and it opens up a whole new perspective of keeping your head on a swivel," Gill said of the incident. "I'm more conscious in my personal driving and when I'm in a patrol car or on the scene on the side of the highway."

The crash on Jan. 18 was one of two serious struck-by crashes in the Denver metro area in the past week, according to Maj. Darce Weil of Colorado State Patrol Division 1, who called the recent trend "concerning" at a press conference Friday.

A second struck-by crash on Jan. 25 left a Colorado Department of Transportation vehicle battered on Interstate 25 while first responders tended to a two-vehicle crash near Castle Rock. Two individuals were transported to the hospital with minor injuries, including a CDOT employee who was in the safety vehicle when it was "violently" struck by a driver disregarding pre-warning signs to move over.

"While we didn't have serious injuries in these two crashes, I can't emphasize enough the danger that these crashes pose," Weil said. "We're seeing an alarming trend this year already. We're in January and we've had a substantial increase in struck-by incidents of first responders. It's a concerning trend."

Weil said drivers need to move over and slow down to prevent these dangerous incidents — and comply with the law. On roads with speed limits 65 mph or above, drivers should slow down by at least 20 mph, and even more during inclement weather when approaching first responders, CDOT or tow carriers.

First responders and maintenance workers have pre-warning signs set up for drivers ahead of crash scenes or maintenance, including flares, triangles, cones, patrol lights and arrow boards — all indicators for drivers to exercise caution by slowing down or moving over.

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Deputy Director for CDOT Bob Fifer said the dangers posed by drivers create an increasingly stressful work environment for CDOT employees. He cited a 133% increase of struck-by crashes of CDOT vehicles from 2021 to 2022 and a 50% increase of hit safety patrol employees.

"It is nerve-wracking to stand on the side of an interstate when somebody is going 90 mph and they're three inches from you," Fifer said. He recognized that drivers may feel like they're in a bubble in their cars. "Keep in mind that your bubble is a weapon in our eyes and can quickly take a life away."

Last year, 50 first responders died as a result of struck-by incidents nationally as of Dec. 22, according to State Patrol. Of those killed, there were 17 law enforcement officers, 17 tow-truck operators, four road service technicians, one CDOT or safety service patrol operator, and 11 firefighters and EMS personnel.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that motor vehicle incidents are a leading cause of death for law enforcement officers in the line of duty, accounting for 33% of line-of-duty deaths between 2011 and 2020.

State Patrol trooper Cody Donahue was killed in 2016 by a commercial truck while investigating a crash on the side of I-25 near Tomah Road in Castle Rock. Donahue, who had been with the force for 11 years, was 34 years old. The driver of the truck who struck him was convicted in 2021 of careless driving — passing of an emergency vehicle resulting in death and failure to remain in a single lane.

"That's something that we will live with for the rest of our lives," Weil said.

The press conference comes not long after reports that last year saw the highest number of vehicle-related deaths in the state since 1981. Traffic crashes claimed 745 lives on Colorado roads in 2022, representing a 57% increase from 10 years ago, according to traffic officials.

"I don't want that trend to continue," Weil said of the statistic. "Seeing the struck-by trend already, I am concerned. I am concerned for my officers' safety, for the employees of CDOT, I'm concerned for roadway workers and, most importantly, I'm concerned for the public."

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