2 weeks Ago
GOLDEN, Colo. — The Golden Police officer killed in a crash Wednesday night while on duty has been identified as Evan Dunn, 33. He was partnered with Officer Bethany Grusing, his field training officer, who was also injured in the crash that happened on Highway 58 around shortly before 5 p.
m. Wednesday. On Thursday, Velma Donahue-Sandberg spoke with 9NEWS about the tragedy.
"How many more times do we have to do this?" Donahue-Sandberg said. Donahue-Sandberg's late husband Cody Donahue was a Colorado State Trooper and was hit and killed while working a crash on Interstate 25 in 2016. "People are just not getting it.
It’s the law you move over," she said. She advocated for increasing the penalty to a felony for drivers who kill someone because they didn't move over. On Thursday, Sherri Mendez, a Colorado State Trooper, said she thinks of Donahue every time they are on the road.
"We think about him, everybody knows his story, and that's always in the back of our minds when we are helping other people," Mendez said. The trooper spoke about the importance of the law. "Our job as first responders is to help everybody else and when we are doing our job, we want to come home safe to our own families," Mendez said.
It’s an issue she said continues to happen. "We have had three Colorado State Patrol troopers struck by incidents since August so that's three [since then]," Mendez said. Donahue-Sandberg said more needs to be done and drivers can start by reminding themselves of the law before they get behind the wheel.
"Think about it [as] if your family member was there. Your dad, your grandpa, your son, your daughter, just think, what would you do if you were driving and they are standing next to that road?" Donahue-Sandberg said. RELATED: Fallen JeffCo sergeant remembered for compassion RELATED: Jaimie Jursevics: Mother, wife, friend, trooper RELATED: Fallen trooper's family asks drivers to help keep emergency crews safe during snowstorm RELATED: Public can leave flowers, cards on CSP trooper's car who died on duty -- it's now parked at his office.
