Two Days of Mayhem

For the past two days, a Winter storm has delivered snow, wind, ice, and poor driving conditions to the Denver area. The highways and side streets were snow-packed mixed with black ice, a dangerous combination anywhere, particularly in a heavily populated city such as where I live and work, Denver, Colorado.

My job requires me to patrol a series of Interstate, US, and State Highways through and around the Denver Metro Area. I worked through the storm, committing 26 hours in two days of non-stop accident and incident response.

During these past two days, I have been up close and personal with multiple automobile accidents, many of them involving Emergency Medical Services. One of those crashes stands out from the rest. I was first to respond to an accident involving one vehicle. A man hit a concrete barricade on Interstate 70.

Fortunately, a Fireman rolled up in his personal truck moments before I did and assisted with the situation until EMS showed up on the scene. The unconscious driver was beginning to turn blue due to his pulse dropping to 20 beats per minute. The Paramedics worked to stabilize the man for at least 25 minutes before departing for the hospital. I certainly hope the driver of the vehicle survived the crash. I feel as though he did.

Dealing with a crash, after a collision, after a crash, that’s how I spent Sunday and Monday. Life is fragile; please drive safely!

Joseph Shanklin

October 27, 2020