Foundations Lend Support To Injured And Fallen Troopers
CBS4 News is featuring a special series of reports this holiday season called the 12 Days of Christmas. The following story is written by CBS4's Jeff Todd.
DENVER (CBS4) - It's been the deadliest year for the Colorado State Patrol since 1966.
On May 23, Cadet Taylor Thyfault pushed a tow truck driver out of the way and sacrificed his own life in a crash on Highway 66. The Cadet was on a ride-along and was working a car accident with Trooper Clinton Rushing.
"Had he not been there in that spot, that could have been me out there. That kid saved my life," said Rusty Melvin, a tow truck driver who was working the previous accident.
On Nov. 15, Trooper Jaimie Jursevics was also assisting another trooper at an accident scene when she tried to get an alleged drunk driver to slow down and pull over. The driver hit her at 70 miles per hour and left her lifeless body in the middle of Interstate 25 near Castle Rock.
"It's devastating, the impact to our family and what we're going through right now," Chief Scott Hernandez of the Colorado State Patrol said after Trooper Jursevics' death.
Immediately, two organizations stepped in as they always do when there's a fallen or injured trooper. Troopers can lose income and have mounting bills, and the foundations help with that.
The Flying Wheels Foundation is one of the first nonprofits helping out injured officers' families. It was founded by Trooper Scott Hinshaw after a crash in 2007 that left him with nearly every bone in his body broken and took the life of Trooper Zach Templeton.
"We want to get in there and take care of their immediate financial needs," said Sgt. Rich Smith, who is a Flying Wheels Foundation Board Member.
The Flying Wheels Foundation also helped Trooper Jursevics family raise more than $100,000 from the public after her death. The foundation helps any law enforcement member injured or killed in the line of duty in Colorado, especially helping those in more rural areas.
The Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation has a longer-term outlook for injured troopers. They've assisted 72 members of the state patrol association since 2006. There are three main benefits the foundation provides: a fallen officer fund, hardship fund and scholarship fund.
"To make what is already a very difficult thing for them to endure a little bit easier if we can," said Captain Brett Mattson, who sits on the board of the CSP Family Foundation.
The Family Foundation provides college scholarships to troopers' kids and also gives full ride college scholarships to children of troopers killed while on-duty. The Family Foundation has awarded 285 scholarships in the past 15 years, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per scholarship.
The groups provide other services, too. Like buying a special bed for Trooper Eugene Hofacker, who was shot in Glenwood Canyon in May of 2014 and is still recovering from his injuries.
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.
