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1 trooper, 3 CSP patrol cars hit in Colorado since Thursday

Four CSP troopers and their cruisers have been hit in as many days around the state of Colorado. Please drive safe, Colorado!

What had been three is now four after a Colorado State Patrol trooper's vehicle was hit along Interstate 25 at the Wyoming border on Sunday. Three other CSP troopers had been involved in wrecks since Thursday, according to the highway patrol agency.

The first crash involving a Colorado State Patrol trooper happened on Thursday near Durango. The next happened near Wadsworth Boulevard and Highway 285 on Friday evening. And then, again, Saturday morning along Interstate 70 West headed past mile marker 65 just inside Garfield County.

"In less than 24 hours, we have had three state troopers hit while doing their job. Three!" wrote Colorado Matthew Packard with CSP on Twitter Saturday morning. "Thankfully, all will be OK. Please, drive responsibly and move over. Lives depend on this folks!"

Packard is currently serving as the ninth chief of the Colorado State Patrol. 

As far as the first crash goes - no one was injured, according to Trooper Schafer with CSP. It happened in La Plata County along Highway 550 just north of Durango sometime on Thursday.

The second crash involving a CSP trooper was reported in the metro area Friday evening. A trooper was hit by a vehicle while investigating another crash along Wadsworth Boulevard and U.S. 285 in Lakewood around 4 p.m. on Friday.

The trooper was hit while in the crosswalk with the crosswalk signal on, according to CSP. The trooper was rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries. Upon evaluation, the severity of the trooper's injuries was downgraded and he is expected to be OK.

The driver of the SUV that hit the trooper was not hurt. The Lakewood Police Department is investigating the wreck where the trooper was hit and the original wreck the trooper was investigating.

The third crash happened just after 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, according to Schafer. A CSP patrol car was hit while helping a stuck car in the middle lane of I-70 westbound near mile marker 65. 

According to Schafer, a sedan was in the left lane and a semi tractor-trailer was in the right lane while the trooper was in the left lane as well while the disabled car stayed in the center. Schafer said the sedan and semi came around a corner and saw the trooper in the left lane with its emergency lights on.

The sedan smashed on its brakes to slow and move to the right when it lost control and went under the semi's tractor-trailer, Schafer explained. After going under the semi, the vehicle then collided with the trooper's cruiser. Schafer said a sergeant suffered minor injuries while inside the patrol car during the crash. 

The driver of the sedan and a passenger were rushed to Saint Mary's Hospital with injuries that weren't believed to be life-threatening. The semi driver wasn't hurt.

The most recent wreck happened around 2 p.m. along I-25 at the Wyoming border, according to CSP. Trooper John Lewis said that the trooper was off the road, responding to some minor crashes that had happened as a result of the weather.

The northbound lanes of the road were closed as of 3 p.m. Sunday due to poor conditions.

The car that smashed into the trooper's cruiser was going too quickly for the conditions at the state line, according to CSP. The trooper was unhurt. One person from the vehicle that hit the cruiser had to be taken to an area hospital with unknown injuries.

This isn't the first time Packard has reached out with a public plea to Colorado motorists. Over the course of about three days from Christmas Eve until Dec. 27, nine people died on Colorado roads. Packard put a video on YouTube asking for all of the state's residents to slow down and pay attention. 

MORE | 9 people have died on Colorado highways since Christmas Eve

Packard was promoted to colonel and chief in December 2017 after Chief Scott Hernandez, who'd led CSP for 30 years, retired. Before becoming chief, Packard oversaw communications, training, public outreach and media relations for the company.

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