CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A woman in Castle Rock believes her father's death could have been prevented. Victor Rodriguez was killed on Highway 85 last month after he hit an elk. His daughter, Mary Rodriguez, is petitioning to see a change along the busy road.
"Such a tragic event shattered our entire family and something like this could have been avoided," Mary Rodriguez said.
In late September Rodriguez's parents were driving along Highway 85 between Happy Canyon and Daniels Park Road when the driver of another driving in the opposite direction hit an elk. That crash caused the elk to go airborne and slam through her family's windshield. Victor Rodriguez was killed, and his wife Mary, was injured.
"The head and the neck of the elk were on top of my mother. She was unable to move and she was calling out for my dad, 'Victor, Victor, answer me, Victor?' and he wouldn't answer," she explained. "For my Dad who was such a wonderful man to die in such a horrific manner is very difficult for us to process."
Victor Rodriguez was remembered as a hardworking and admirable man. The 81-year-old moved to the United States from Cuba in the 60s, received his American citizenship and worked multiple jobs to take care of his family. His daughter, Mary, described him as 'her person' who played such a big role in her life and shared her love for animals.
"It occurred to me that along I-25 they have implemented wildlife fencing and I realized how important that is for not only the protection of our citizens but also the protection of our precious wildlife here in Colorado," she said.
"If they have the wildlife fencing along I-25 and U.S. Highway 85 runs essentially in the same direction in parts why don’t we have that same wildlife fencing on that highway? Because had that wildlife fencing been in place my father would still be with us."
Rodriguez said she wants wildlife fencing installed along Highway 85 in highly-populated areas like Castle Rock and Castle Pines Village.
Last Friday she started a Change.org petition and it's collected more than 2,600 signatures. Many of the people who signed left a comment sharing a similar sentiment.
"The growth of this community and the amount of homes that are being added public safety needs to be a top priority," she added. "This is a bigger program than we realize and I think there’s a lot of issues here that need to be addressed but I think a very good place to start would be with implementing that wildlife fencing."
Rodriguez would also like to see wildlife underpasses to be considered around this area. She said her father loved the wildlife in Colorado and making a change to keep both people and animals safe would be a great way to not only honor him, but could save other lives.
"We want help. We're the unsafe ones, our animals are unsafe and we are crying out for help," she stressed.
Rodriguez said she reached out to local government officials and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation with her concerns about wildlife near the highway. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, nearly 4,000 animal versus car crashes are reported in Colorado annually.