No Charges Filed In Crash That Killed State Trooper William Moden
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) - No charges will be filed in the crash that killed Trooper William Moden in June. The Colorado State Patrol and the Arapahoe County District Attorney made the announcement on Thursday.
"We do not believe that the driver of the truck violated any law and ultimately we recommended to the district attorney's office for no charges," said Colonel Matthew C. Packard, chief of Colorado State Patrol.
Moden was killed on June 14 when he was struck by a 1999 Ford F-250 driven by a 58-year-old man on eastbound Interstate 70 near Deer Trail. The crash happened while the Colorado State Patrol was investigating a separate crash on I-70.
"The right thing to do is sometimes not easy or obvious" said George Brauchler, District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District. "If everybody does everything right these aren't the outcomes that should happen and yet here we are."
CSP said the driver has cooperated throughout the investigation. Moden was wearing a uniform and a reflective vest at the time he was hit. But the investigation and further study by the agency has revealed that the vests could be better. The driver was not impaired or distracted and he was traveling below the speed limit, according to CSP.
"They're not as visible as we would have hoped," Packard said of the vests. "We're looking at a lot of different things."
The CSP chief could not point to one factor that caused the crash. He said that state troopers can close down a road if they think it will maintain the integrity of the investigation or keep them safe. But they have to weigh that with the impact it will have on traffic and the potential to cause another crash because of the closure.
"We want to know what happened so we can learn from it," he said. "The driver complied with Colorado law. He did everything he was supposed to."
Less than two months since he died, the agency is trying to move forward while mourning the loss of Moden.
"He was an incredible man that loved this organization and loved what it stood for," Packard said. "He's a guy who never said no and he didn't say no that night."
CSP continues to support his family. Packard says they are still struggling and the agency is giving them the resources they need to heal. He hopes the memory of Moden will inspire more troopers to serve the state and make sure they are all safe. CSP says they want all troopers to review what more can be done to help them go home each night.
"A lot of reflection about what I can do personally," Packard added. "What our organization can do to keep the men and women of this organization safe."
