'We're Human Beings': Troopers Concerned About Flurry Over Accidents Involving CSP
DENVER (CBS4) - Being a Colorado state trooper is a dangerous job. That has been evidenced this month by four incidents in a four day period in which a trooper or his vehicle have been struck.
This comes just after a second mistrial was declared in the case of a driver charged with killing a state trooper when his truck struck him along Interstate 25.
CBS4 investigator Rick Sallinger went out on Santa Fe Drive with the Colorado State Patrol to see if drivers are obeying the Move Over Law. In one example of an offense, a white car that should have switched lanes to avoid a patrol car with flashing emergency lights didn't.
Trooper Josh Lewis says it's not a surprise.
"I wish I could say it's shocking. It's an aspect of the job we felt with so many times, it's infuriating," he said.
One of those four crashes was north of Durango. A trooper was in his patrol car with emergency lights on and investigating an accident when another car spun out.
"I was seated in the driver's seat and I felt the impact and the rear of the vehicle was pushed 1 to 2 feet away," he told CBS4.
He was not hurt. But last Friday a trooper was struck while investigating an accident at Highway 285 and Wadsworth Boulevard. He was taken to the hospital and the driver was cited for careless driving.
"We're human beings. We can be injured. We can be killed and our families want us to come home at the end of our shift," Lewis said.
An unmarked state patrol vehicle was damaged in another incident near Glenwood Springs, while a different state patrol was struck on I-25 near the Wyoming border.
So what if you can't switch lanes? The law which has been around 10 years makes it clear -- you are supposed to slow down.
