Pueblo widow calls for safety changes on North Vassar after husband killed in car crash
Mina Ramirez
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — After 75 years of marriage, Priscilla Portillos is now navigating life without the man she spent nearly her entire life beside.
Courtesy of: Michelle Law
Ted Portillos was struck and killed near Northern Avenue and Vassar Avenue last year. Now, his family says the crash may have been preventable and is urging city and state leaders to make improvements along the road.
Video obtained by KRDO13 shows the moments leading up to the crash.
Portillos’ family said he was on his way to his beloved Eagles Club that day when the collision happened.
His wife, Priscilla Portillos, said the driver approached quickly and struck Ted’s vehicle.
“That man that ran into him was coming to him fast,” she said. “When he struck his car, he didn’t stop.”
Shortly after the crash, the family received a phone call no one ever wants to get.
“We got the phone call that he was in the hospital,” said Ted’s daughter, Cheryl Portillos. “They told us we needed to come quickly… that he was passing.”
Ted and Priscilla Portillos first met when she was 17, and he was 20. Their love story would span 75 years of marriage.
Family members describe Ted as someone who was always smiling and quick to joke with people he met.
“He was always smiling. He was always joking with people,” Cheryl said. “When people would pass by, he’d ask them, ‘Are you married?’”
They say he was also the type of person who would always lend a helping hand and never met a stranger.
Now, even in his death, his family says they are continuing the push for road safety improvements Ted had long advocated for.
The family says the stretch of Northern Avenue where the crash happened connects directly to a state highway while also running through residential neighborhoods, creating a complex jurisdiction between the city and state.
Because of that, they believe both agencies need to work together to improve safety along the road.
Through an online petition, the family is calling for the speed limit to be lowered by 20 miles per hour or for additional safety measures, such as better street lighting.
“It could have been avoided if they would have listened to us,” Priscilla said. “It feels like there’s a big empty space in my life.”
The petition asks city and state leaders to work together to make the area safer for drivers and residents.
Courtesy of: Michelle Law
Learn more about Ted Portillos’s petition here.