Uber passenger's act of kindness ends in tragedy on i-25
A selfless act of helping others after a highway collision turned fatal Saturday morning on Interstate 25 in Adams County, Colorado. Chris Serna, a 30-year-old Thornton resident, was struck and killed while attempting to assist those involved in an earlier accident, a stark reminder of the inherent dangers on Colorado’s roadways.
The sequence of events: a chain reaction of loss
According to the Colorado State Patrol, the incident began with a collision involving a Mitsubishi and a Chevrolet Trax around 3:45 a.m. Serna, a passenger in the Mitsubishi and having taken an Uber home after celebrating the Colorado Rockies’ home opener, exited the vehicle to offer assistance to occupants of the Trax. This is when tragedy struck. A 2020 Mercedes, driven by a 27-year-old woman, then rear-ended the Trax, tragically hitting Serna who was outside his vehicle.
The driver of the Mercedes sustained minor injuries, while the Trax driver suffered serious injuries. Remarkably, the driver of the Mitsubishi – Serna’s ride – escaped unharmed. But the loss of Serna reverberates profoundly through his family and community.
“It just hurts that he texted my little brother, 'Open the door,' 10 minutes before this incident happened, and my brother's no longer with us,” said Iris Cerna, Serna's sister, in a heartbreaking statement to CBS Colorado. She painted a picture of a devoted Rockies fan, “Every time you saw my brother, he was probably wearing a Rockies hat.”
Jason Kalahar, an Adams County firefighter/paramedic, underscored the inherent risks of highway incidents. “Highway incidents, especially in the middle of the night, are exponentially more dangerous,” he explained. “A person walking around on the highway is virtually invisible to everybody until you’re right up on them.” He urged motorists involved in crashes to prioritize their safety by staying in their vehicles and contacting 911, rather than attempting to assist others.
The scene is particularly poignant for first responders, who have witnessed similar tragedies recently. “We've had the same incident twice in less than a year’s span, and it had unfortunate outcomes both times,” Kalahar added, highlighting the urgent need for increased awareness and caution.
Beyond the immediate tragedy, Serna’s family has established a memorial in his apartment and launched an online fundraising campaign to help cover funeral expenses. Iris described her brother as a man defined by kindness, recalling, “My brother, you could tell him anything and be mad at him, and the next day he would come and ask you, 'Did you eat? Are you OK?'” The echoes of his compassion linger, a stark contrast to the abruptness of his passing.
The driver of the Mercedes is currently under investigation, and the Colorado State Patrol is working to determine the full sequence of events leading up to the fatal collision. But for the Cerna family, the focus remains on remembering the man who, in his final moments, sought to help others, a testament to a life cut tragically short.