6-Hour Procession Escorts CDOT Worker Killed On The Job Across Colorado
PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) -- A Colorado Department of Transportation worker who was killed on the job was escorted from the Littleton area to his final resting place in Pagosa Springs on Friday.
CDOT vehicles, snowplows and maintenance patrols took part in the 276-mile procession across the state.
The motorcade will escort Nolan Olson to CDOT's Maintenance Patrol 7 yard, where his remains will rest overnight. Several members of the CDOT maintenance team will serve as an "honor guard" to keep watch throughout the night.
Olson was filling potholes on US Highway 160 in Pagosa Springs on Feb. 2 when he was struck by a passing car. He suffered serious head injuries.
He had worked for CDOT for 14 years.
Procession route
CDOT warned that brief traffic delays may occur at highway intersections along the statewide procession route.
The memorial procession left Denver at about 8 a.m. The escort team planned to travel down US Highway 285, then along US 160 over Wolf Creek Pass and into Pagosa Springs.
Fellow CDOT employees paid their respects at various observation points as the transport vehicle passed. Maintenance patrols lined their vehicles and equipment along the route to honor Olson.
CDOT urged the public to use caution when the memorial motorcade passes.
"We lost an incredible team member in Nolan. He was the type of person who would not have wanted his loss to have gone without shining a spotlight on the risks that our crews take every day when they go out on the roads to serve the public," Michael Lewis, Executive Director of CDOT, said in a statement. "Not only do I want the public to understand the type of man that Nolan was, I also want the public to know and understand the care needed when driving on our highways. A driver's undivided attention to the road will ensure we are able to come home to our families."
The driver, Jerry Modisette, 83, was cited with careless driving.
On Saturday, Olson's remains will be transported to a "celebration of life" set for 11 a.m. at the Ross Aragon Community Center of Pagosa Springs.
Parking at the community center is limited, CDOT officials said and strongly encouraged people to carpool to the memorial service.
