Colorado State Patrol concerned about safety after tow truck driver, patrol vehicle struck by out-of-control Jeep
A 22-year-old tow truck driver remained in the hospital Monday night with serious injuries after he was hit by a Colorado State Patrol vehicle that was knocked into him by an out-of-control Jeep.
The driver, Alex Salgado of Gypsum, was caught between the patrol vehicle and his flatbed tow truck on Sunday night. He has four broken bones in one leg, a broken pelvis, and internal injuries.
The crash was part of a series of events near Wolcott in Eagle County. It began with a vehicle stuck in the snow, which one tow truck was attempting to help when the driver of a Ford F-250 crashed into that tow truck. Colorado State Patrol says the Ford driver is being charged with DUI.
Salgado, who drives for Big Steve's Towing, was called to assist with that accident when a Jeep plowed into a state patrol car. The trooper was able to get out of the way, but Salgado was pinned between the patrol car and his truck. There are no current charges against the Jeep driver.
The crash highlighted the dangers on the road for first responders and road workers.
"He loves the tow truck," said Salgado's mother Maria Bahr. And he was well-liked on the road. "All the police, all the state troopers, they love him because he's really friendly," said his mother.
She expressed her frustration at the danger her son faced, stating: "They don't care, they don't think about it. And the people, they're working."
Bahr talked about how her son has had close calls before. One time he came home shaking, "And he said, 'Mom give me a big hug,'" said his mother.
It worries many tow truck operators.
"Lots of distracted driving out there on the roadways. This year in particular, I'm not sure exactly what it's been, but we've had a very large uptick in first responders getting hit," said Mountain Recovery owner Charlie Stubblefield.
There have been several deaths among first responders and workers this year, including Golden Police Officer Evan Dunn, in a crash involving an alleged impaired driver. CDOT workers Nathan Jones and Trenton Umberger were killed in Palisade as they worked by the side of Highway 6 on the Western Slope.
"It doesn't matter if it's a tow operator, law enforcement, fire, EMS, or even just a person on the shoulder with their hazards on. People aren't heeding that and moving over," said Stubblefield.
Stubblefield is adding lighted message board signs to his vehicles out of concern for workers.
"They just see lights and lights and lights and lights and they go, 'That must not be much.' And they're not really heeding our warnings that have been put out there," he said.
Speed, driving too fast for road conditions, and impaired driving remain big factors. But there are other causes.
Tow operators wonder whether self-driving modes lessen drivers' ability to handle their vehicles and how other technology may affect the dangers.
Cars and trucks now have less tactile touch screens and more complicated controls. People renting vehicles are renting cars they are not familiar with, which can be more difficult to manage with a higher learning curve. And there is simply more traffic on Colorado's roads.
"We're dealing with a lot of new drivers to the mountains here," said Stubblefield.
Alex Salgado's mother is now at her son's bedside as he was for her when she went through cancer twice.
"He stayed with me in the hospital all the time. He's a very sweet man," said his mother. She expects he'll return to the job he loves but asks people to give him a break.
"Please drive slow. Please," she pleaded.
UPDATE: A GoFundMe fundraiser called "Support Alex Salgado's Road to Recovery" had raised more than $20,000 by late Tuesday afternoon.
