DDN – Alex Salgado, a Gypsum resident, is still in the hospital with a broken pelvis and other injuries sustained in an accident on Interstate 70 on January 5. Trooper Cecil Gaddy is also recovering from injuries suffered that night.
Following the tragedy, the Colorado State Patrol held a press conference on Thursday at its training academy in Golden. The gathering provided an opportunity for Gaddy to discuss the events of the night, while others discussed the significance of the state’s statute mandating motorists to slow down and shift over for emergency vehicles on the roadway.
According to Colorado State Patrol Sgt. Patrick Rice, Salgado is in good spirits despite the likelihood of a lengthy hospital stay. Rice, who knows Salgado from his time in Eagle County, read a message Salgado prepared for the event.
The statement said, in part, “The white line (on the highway) is considerably more than what the eyes see. To first responders, tow operators, and the Department of Transportation, as well as the young lad changing his flat tire on the side of the road, there is just a 12-inch difference between going home and seeing our families that night and not making it home.
According to the statement, Salgado was hit and then stuck between Gaddy’s patrol car and his tow truck in 3.5 seconds. His life was transformed “in the blink of an eye,” he wrote.
Salgado, who graduated from Battle Mountain High School in 2021, was on the scene with the Colorado State Patrol, supporting another tow truck driver who a Ford F-250 had struck.
Salgado was wedged between the trooper’s front bumper and the flatbed of his tow truck, sustaining many injuries.
When asked about responding to the accident that night, Gaddy described it in clinical detail. He spotted the out-of-control automobile that collided with his police car, forcing him under the tow truck and injuring his left shoulder. He initially heard Salgado’s calls for aid while caught between the patrol car and the tow truck, unaware of his injuries.
With help on the way, Gaddy pulled Salgado to safety, pushed the drivers from the first incident out of the road, and ensured that the driver of the out-of-control vehicle remained in position, the safest place he could be in the scenario.
Gaddy praised Eagle County Paramedics and Eagle River Fire Protection District crews for their prompt reaction and assistance in shutting down the freeway.
That night is “one I’m going to remember for the rest of my life,” Gaddy said. “Everything happened so fast,” he explained. Gaddy and Captain Jared Rapp advised motorists to slow down and yield to emergency vehicles.
“It’s more than just a law,” Gaddy explained. “It’s common sense.” “Your and our lives are worth it.” Salgado’s speech also encouraged people to slow down and move over.
“The further you are from us, the greater our chances are to go home,” he replied.
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