KUSA- The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is remembering one of its own.
Sergeant Sean Renfro was killed on Saturday, as he tried to help drivers involved in an accident on US 285. He was a 15-year veteran of the sheriff's office.
"The compassion and sense of duty that Sean had is incredible," Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink said.
It's that sense of duty that led Sergeant Renfro -- who was off-duty at the time -- to stop along US 285. A Mitsubishi SUV had lost control on the southbound side of the road, hitting the side of the mountain.
The couple inside was not injured, but Renfro, along with a friend, stopped to help them.
"If you know Sean, it's not surprising," Sheriff Mink said. "When he initially stopped to render aid, there was a man and a woman that had crashed into the side of the mountain. Being typical Sean, he took them out of their car and put them in his truck, so they could stay warm while he was outside."
Then, there was a second accident— a sedan hit their truck. Still there were no injuries reported, according to the Colorado State Patrol, which was on scene and investigating the two accidents, as Sgt. Renfro helped direct traffic. That's when CSP says a woman, who was driving a 2006 blue Ford Escape northbound, lost control, crossed the highway and struck and killed Sgt. Renfro.
"Sean was doing his job, whether he was in uniform or not, he was doing not only what he was trained to do, but what he was compassionate about, and that was helping his fellow man in doing what he could at that particular time," Sheriff Mink said.
CSP is still investigating what happened, but they say they do not believe drugs nor alcohol were factors in the crash. They are looking at whether the driver was going too fast for conditions, as there was blowing snow and icy roads at the time.
"The message is, when the conditions are like that, you've got to slow down," Sheriff Mink said.
Meanwhile, Sgt. Renfro leaves behind a wife and four children, two of whom he adopted from Russia. Just one example, Sheriff Mink said, of his compassion.
"I know there's been a lot of negative things said about law enforcement, but I guarantee you every time a man or a woman in uniform put on that gun belt, put on that badge and go to work, there's always a risk, there's always a risk and we live with that risk," Sheriff Mink said.
A CSP officer, along with Sgt. Renfro's friend, were also injured in the accident. CSP said both are expected to be okay. Funeral arrangements for Sgt. Renfro are pending.
**A GoFundMe has been set up for people to donate to Sgt. Sean Renfro's family here: http://www.gofundme.com/jocxks.**
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