COLORADO TROOPER INJURED IN I-76 ACCIDENT GETTING BETTER

A Colorado State Patrol trooper remained hospitalized, but is expected to recover after he was injured and his partner was killed when they were struck by a truck while helping a motorist. Trooper Scott Hinshaw, 38, and trooper Zachariah Templeton, 27, were standing on the Interstate 76 median in the Brighton area helping the motorist when they were struck by a truck, investigators said.

Hinshaw is up on his feet, but he has a long way to go. Hinshaw's wife, Susan talked to the media about his determination to get better. "I'm just very appreciative of all the prayer and support that we received," Susan said.

Hinshaw has a broken thigh bone, braces on both knees and major ligament damage from the accident. "His heart is obviously breaking for the Templeton family. He is very, very grateful," Susan said. Hinshaw was on his way home on the couple's 15th wedding anniversary when he stopped to help a driver who had lost part of his load on Interstate 76. His doctor is 95% sure he'll have a full recovery.

"There is a significant chance that he will be back working in some capacity within six months," Dr. Wade Smith with Denver Health Medical Center said. "He is also a really big sports fan and I think the success of the Rockies might have played a little bit into his improvement." Susan laughed and said that was true.

Veteran state trooper Ron Watkins said the 17-year-old driver who lost control of his truck will likely face charges. He said the teenager was likely distracted when the highway traffic slowed as they approached the officers working in the median.

"They took all the safety precautions before they went into that median, so it's just one of those things that happened," Watkins said. "I'm sure the young man that lost control of his truck, he's going to have to live with this the rest of his life. It's just unfortunate. He's an inexperienced driver. This is a terrible, terrible thing that happened."

Watkins said it has been the toughest week ever for the State Patrol. They lost two officers in two days. Along with the accident on I-76, the very next day a trooper was killed near Durango when he was riding his motorcycle and came up on a herd of deer. He ended up crashing into a fencepost and died. The patrol has about 700 officers statewide.