COLORADO SPRINGS — 67-year-old Isadore Romero was an avid Broncos fan, a UFC enthusiast, and a proud grandfather.
"His family was everything to him. He loved riding his motorcycle and he loved fishing, and making sure that everybody was safe," said his daughter, Bobbie. "He was a great, great man.”
She said on April 2 in the middle of the afternoon, her family's world changed in the blink of an eye. Isadore was riding his motorcycle when he was struck and killed at the intersection of East Platte Avenue and North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs, where the William Palmer statue stands.
Bobbie said the driver of the other vehicle turned left in front of the statue and collided with her father.
"He died instantly from impact because of the way he was hit. His brainstem snapped," she said.
She said this is not the first time she has had safety concerns about the intersection. She said she avoided the intersection even before her father's accident.
"It's just awful. It's a blind spot," she said. "I've avoided it just because I'd rather not have to deal with a driver who doesn't know how to deal with it," she said.
Data from Colorado Springs Police show Isadore's accident is not unusual. There were 19 crashes at the intersection in 2018, 21 crashes in 2022, and 3 crashes already this year.
Bobbie and her family are fighting for the statue to be moved.
"You don't have to eliminate it at all," she said. "Let's just move it to Acacia Park, move it in front of Palmer High School. I'm trying to help people not lose their lives, help people not be in the situation I'm sitting in. It's an awful situation to be in."
According to police, the city engineering department has the responsibility of reviewing data about the intersection and making safety recommendations to the city.
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