Colorado State Patrol trooper hit, killed by vehicle on I-25

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – A Colorado State Patrol trooper was hit and killed by a commercial vehicle Friday as he was investigating a crash on Interstate 25 south of Castle Rock.

Trooper Cody Donahue, an 11-year veteran of the State Patrol, died at the scene, and the northbound lanes of the interstate were expected to be closed throughout the evening. Investigators did not say if he was outside of his vehicle when he was hit, and no other information was expected to be released Friday.

“We don’t call them accidents. This was a crash,” Trooper Josh Lewis told reporters. “Crashes like this one can be avoided.”

A procession of law enforcement vehicles accompanied the trooper’s body from the scene as officers lined the streets, standing at attention. Meanwhile, Lewis said the State Patrol is trying to comfort employees and their families after what has been a tough couple of years.

Taylor Thyfault, a 21-year-old State Patrol cadet, was killed in May 2015 when he and a trooper were hit while trying to stop a fleeing car near Longmont. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of trooper.

The driver in that crash was convicted of first-degree murder and is set to be sentenced Tuesday.

In November 2015, Trooper Jaimie Jursevics, 33, was hit and killed by a drunk driver while she was investigating a crash near Castle Rock. A retired Army colonel was sentenced to eight years in prison for hitting her and fleeing the scene.

Prosecutors said he had spent the day drinking at a Denver Broncos game before the crash.