Denver and the West
Colorado roadside memorials help recall accident victims
By Monte Whaley
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/21/2014 12:01:00 AM MDTAdd a Comment
Updated: 10/21/2014 08:24:45 AM MDT
A sign on McClure Pass outside of Carbondale marks a spot near where Dillon Jett died in a motorcycle accident in 2010. (Photos courtesy of Staci Bishop, mother of Dillon Jett)
A blue metal sign stands on McClure Pass between Pitkin and Gunnison counties as a stark reminder of the death of 23-year-old Dillon Jett.
It also may prompt some to think about all the other motorists who recently lost their lives in traffic accidents in Colorado and the 489 roadside signs that mark their passing.
At least it does to Jett's mom, Staci Bishop.
"Having a loved one with their name on a sign, I notice all of the others a little more now," Bishop said. "I wonder about the ones who were lost, the names on the signs, and I send up a prayer for their family."
Dillon Jett of Carbondale died in a motorcycle accident in 2010. Courtesy of Staci Bishop (The Denver Post | handout)
Colorado's memorial sign program began in 1994 to designate spots where people were killed by drunken drivers. The program expanded in 2004, when legislation was passed to commemorate victims of fatal crashes that were not related to drugs or alcohol.
"The signage program offers families of victims an additional opportunity to honor and remember their loved ones," Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Wilson said. "It also serves as reminders to motorists and their passengers to be safe and drive sober."
Families pay $100 for a sign and its upkeep. The sign stays up for six years and then is given to the families, Wilson said.
Many counties and cities have similar programs. In Denver, there are 115 roadside memorial signs, but they are put up for no charge and can remain up indefinitely.
Denver's program is administered by the district attorney's office and the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said DA spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough.
"It's a way to advocate for victims' families," Kimbrough said, "to make sure they are not forgotten."
The state's sign program was prompted in part by the problems with impromptu roadside memorials set up by friends and relatives of victims, Wilson said.
Many homemade markers can be distractions to passing motorists and have been targeted in litigation by those who object to their religious trappings, Wilson said.
"They can be a problem, but we try and balance everything as best we can," Wilson said.
Roads crews sometimes have to take down the man-made memorials, but Wilson said they are careful to store them for families to reclaim.
Jett was killed in 2010 on Mother's Day after he lost control of his motorcycle on Colorado 133 south of Carbondale. An expert diesel mechanic and budding chef, Jett also enjoyed motorcycles and wore strong protective gear on the day he spun out on a mountain pass.
At the spot of the accident, his family erected a memorial centered around a Celtic cross welded by a friend. It sits off the highway so as not to distract drivers, Bishop said.
"We couldn't live with the idea of putting someone else in danger by our memorial," she said.
But the family also wanted something more lasting, because they live in the Eastern Plains community of Springfield, several hours from the site of the accident.
"It was a way that we could in some way try to make sure his memory lives on," Bishop said.
They heeded the advice of a Colorado state trooper and contacted CDOT. The sign includes a simple message: "Please Ride Safely ... In Memory of Dillon Jett."
"I'm not going to lie. Seeing the sign for the first time was about as emotional as seeing his gravestone set," Bishop said. "But we knew we wanted a sign up by the road so other motorcycle riders could know what happened there."
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