As a police officer working on duty, you hope that the people around you will be kind and aware of your presence. No one wants to suffer an injury while performing a highway stop or while working at the scene of a serious accident. Unfortunately, even those who have the best intentions while stopping to help others can be injured by reckless people.
One Colorado State Patrol cadet was recently killed in Colorado, according to a May 23 report, when he was trying to help keep a tow truck driver out of harm’s way. The cadet had been shouting a warning to the driver to get out of the way of a police chase when a vehicle sped through another accident scene and struck the cadet.
The 21-year-old man was working alongside another officer, a 37-year-old trooper, who was also struck. The 37-year-old man has been hospitalized with critical injuries, but reports state that he is expected to recover. The 21-year-old man was not as lucky; he was killed at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle, a 27-year-old man, was treated for injuries and then released into the custody of the Boulder County Jail. The man has been charged with a number of crimes including the illegal use of blue lights and for driving without a license.
Some good did come out of this situation. The tow truck driver, a father and husband, believes the cadet saved his life. The cadet had yelled at him to stay out of the road, and because he did that, the driver didn’t walk into the road to place a railing at the scene.
Source: The Denver Post, “Colorado State Patrol cadet killed near Longmont as he tried to save tow truck driver,” Noelle Phillips, May. 23, 2015
