TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Police say early Thursday, at Stone and Glenn, police cars parked with emergency lights on were not enough to stop a suspected DUI driver from plowing into an earlier accident scene. It’s a constant danger that’s claimed a lot of lives.
“It just makes you so sad because you can't help not think what it was like then.”
For Jan Blaser Upchurch, word of the TPD officer badly hurt at that accident scene renewed memories of how 33 years ago, a drunk driver hit and killed her husband DPS Sergeant John Blaser and fellow officer David Gabrielli.
Related: Suspected DUI driver rams police vehicle
They were stopped at an accident scene. The sort of thing any patrol officer might easily do thousands of times in a life of police work.
Highway Patrol’s specialty of enforcement and safety on high-speed roads makes those officers especially vulnerable. Since 1958, 12 Highway Patrol members were working an accident or traffic stop when another driver, usually DUI, hits and killed them.
Since her husband’s death, Jan Blaser Upchurch worked against drunk driving, worked with other law enforcement families, and any family that became a victim of crime.
“I've been providing support and, you know, understanding and comfort and information to crime victims for all these years since John was killed and it changed my life forever. And what I tried to do it, other people helped me and I wanted to help other people. So that's why I continue to do that work.”
She says modern technology has created new ways for drivers to endanger officers by the side of the road. Like the case of DPS Officer Tim Huffman. A truck driver’s own onboard camera caught that driver on his cell phone moments before he hit and killed Huffman on the edge of I-8.
Jan Blaser Upchurch says, “And it was a miracle more people weren't killed, but it certainly caused all kinds of grief and heartache for absolutely no reason, no good reason at all.”
——-
Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
