DENVER, Colo. --
Colorado State Patrol troopers shrouded their badges Saturday as they mourned the death of Trooper Zachariah Templeton, 27.
Templeton died Friday after succombing to injuries suffered in a crash Thursday evening.
Templeton and Trooper Scott Hinshaw, 38, were pulled over on the median along 1-76, just east of 96th Avenue, assisting a motorist. The driver of a 1998 Dodge pickup and trailer had lost one of two plastic farm chemical tanks. In the course of helping the driver, troopers say a 17-year-old driving a green Ford F-150 pickup truck drifted off the eastbound lanes and into the median. Both Templeton and Hinshaw were hit.
"I heard a tire screech, a big bang and the two officers I found, finally, lying under the pickup essentially," said Terence Rice.
Rice said the troopers were helpful in assisting him in his time of need.
"They didn't deserve what happened. They were being very friendly and very helpful," said Rice.
Hinshaw and Templeton were both taken to Denver Health. Hinshaw is still listed in serious condition.
Templeton's death, however, confirms a disturbing trend. The nation's newest cause of officer deaths appears to be careless drivers.
"We've lost a lot more officers from accidents and this exact or this similar circumstance standing along the highway than we've ever had from felonious assault," said Capt. Steve Smee with Colorado State Patrol.
In fact, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that, in 2006, 145 officers lost their lives in traffic-related incidents.
That's 48 percent of total deaths for that year.
In light of the tragedy, troopers are asking the public to "give them a break" on the roadway while they pause to remember a man and father killed in the line of duty.
Copyright 2007 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Funeral services for Colorado State Trooper Zachariah Templeton will be held on Friday. Templeton's service will be 10 a.m. at the Lifebridge Christian Church, 10345 Ute Highway or Colorado 66, in Longmont.
REST IN PEACE and will always keep your family and love ones in our prayers.
Colorado State Patrol troopers shrouded their badges Saturday as they mourned the death of Trooper Zachariah Templeton, 27.
Templeton died Friday after succombing to injuries suffered in a crash Thursday evening.
Templeton and Trooper Scott Hinshaw, 38, were pulled over on the median along 1-76, just east of 96th Avenue, assisting a motorist. The driver of a 1998 Dodge pickup and trailer had lost one of two plastic farm chemical tanks. In the course of helping the driver, troopers say a 17-year-old driving a green Ford F-150 pickup truck drifted off the eastbound lanes and into the median. Both Templeton and Hinshaw were hit.
"I heard a tire screech, a big bang and the two officers I found, finally, lying under the pickup essentially," said Terence Rice.
Rice said the troopers were helpful in assisting him in his time of need.
"They didn't deserve what happened. They were being very friendly and very helpful," said Rice.
Hinshaw and Templeton were both taken to Denver Health. Hinshaw is still listed in serious condition.
Templeton's death, however, confirms a disturbing trend. The nation's newest cause of officer deaths appears to be careless drivers.
"We've lost a lot more officers from accidents and this exact or this similar circumstance standing along the highway than we've ever had from felonious assault," said Capt. Steve Smee with Colorado State Patrol.
In fact, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that, in 2006, 145 officers lost their lives in traffic-related incidents.
That's 48 percent of total deaths for that year.
In light of the tragedy, troopers are asking the public to "give them a break" on the roadway while they pause to remember a man and father killed in the line of duty.
Copyright 2007 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Funeral services for Colorado State Trooper Zachariah Templeton will be held on Friday. Templeton's service will be 10 a.m. at the Lifebridge Christian Church, 10345 Ute Highway or Colorado 66, in Longmont.
REST IN PEACE and will always keep your family and love ones in our prayers.
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