‘Tragic day’: 3 teenagers killed in crash, including 2 workers doing their jobs

PALISADE, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) – Officials in Colorado said they are heartbroken after two roadside workers were killed Wednesday while on the job.

“Our team is absolutely devastated to be here today,” said Shoshana Lew, Colorado Department of Transportation executive director, in a news conference addressing the tragedy.

The two Colorado Department of Transportation employees were doing maintenance operations, reportedly fixing a sign, on Highway 6 just east of Grand Junction when State Patrol says an oncoming Jeep drifted off the road.

The two CDOT workers that were at the scene were walking back towards their truck, we believe, when that Jeep Grand Cherokee collided with both them and that CDOT truck that was parked on that scene,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of Colorado State Patrol.

Both workers were killed, and the force of impact caused the Jeep to roll, killing the passenger.

“I can’t say this enough, that today is a tragic day in Colorado,” Packard said.

Packard and Lew both stressed how preventable the events were.

The folks that are out there working on the road, that is their office, and they’re out there protecting the traveling public,” Lew said. “When you see vehicles pulled over on the side of the road, please, please treat them like they’re your own family. Drive slowly, move over and make it safe for them to be doing the work they do each and every day to keep the rest of us safe.”

“Three people lost their lives. And anytime that happens, it’s heartbreaking and tragic. And today is no exception to that. My heart goes out to our friends at CDOT who every day our troopers work side by side,” Packard said. “… And of course, the driver of [the Jeep] lost his loved one today.”

The passenger in the Jeep, though not yet publicly identified, was reportedly the driver’s wife.

That driver sustained minor injuries and could ultimately face criminal charges.

There’s still a lot to go through and we will work closely with the Mesa County District Attorney’s Office,” Packard said.

Over the last few decades, Colorado has experienced an increasing number of deaths, injuries and near-misses to state law enforcement, road crews, stalled drivers and others parked along the side the road.

In response, the state passed a “Move Over” law several years ago, which it strengthened last year. The original version of the law required drivers to move over, or if not possible, slow way down when passing first responders on the side of the road; the current version signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in 2023 expands that to cover all vehicles.

Polis issued a statement Wednesday afternoon in response to the triple tragedy: “Today in Mesa County, after stopping to the side of the road to fix a sign, two dedicated Colorado Department of Transportation employees were struck by a passing vehicle that led to the tragic loss of three lives and a fourth being hospitalized. I’m heartbroken by this horrible accident and my thoughts are with the families of the individuals, CDOT, and the communities. These Coloradans will be missed by their state, families, and communities. I speak for the entire state when I say that they will be missed.”