Northern Colorado firefighter in ICU after being hit by wrong-way driver on I-25 in Denver

A veteran Colorado firefighter is now in the ICU after a wrong-way driver crashed into him on Interstate 25 in Denver.

On Sunday morning Ken Bradley was driving north in the express lane on Interstate 25, an hour-and-a-half into his commute from his Colorado Springs house to the Berthoud Fire Station, when he was hit head-on by that wrong-way driver north of Coors Field.  

A Berthoud Fire colleague says Bradley was driving a truck that day, rather than the small car he usually drove. First responders had to cut the roof and the doors of that truck off in order to get Ken out.

"This has hit not only his family hard, but it's hit our family here hard as well," said Berthoud Fire Chief Stephen Charles.

Bradley joined Berthoud Fire in 2021, after 20 years as an Air Force firefighter.

"He's just become a beloved integrated friend and colleague here, everyone likes him, everyone respects him," Berthoud Fire Division Chief Andrew Kuiken said.

Fellow firefighters say Bradley quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant and an instructor.

"He loves training, and he really invests in other people and trying to help everyone be their best here," said Kuiken.

At home, they say Bradley is a loving husband and father of three. The crash happened the day after Bradley took a day off to attend a recital of his daughter's.

"He's obviously very committed to his family and to his children," said Charles.

 Bradley's colleagues rushed to the hospital after getting the news of his crash and passing the wreckage on the way.

"Honestly, my heart sank when I saw the vehicle. It's just the extent of the damage, because we do see that, and we know what kind of injuries come from things like that," said Kuiken.

The other driver died on scene.

"We were all pretty impacted by the fact that the other driver had died. That was a tragedy. We wish we had more answers on how or why that happened. It's unfortunate that it seems preventable, and we just don't understand yet how that could have happened," said Kuiken.

But miraculously, Bradley survived.

"The initial news that he was going to survive, just the sigh of relief everyone had there," said Kuiken.

But his injuries are severe. Bradley has fractures in both legs and one arm, a dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a concussion.

"It's a long list of injuries, but if anyone can do it, Ken can," said Kuiken.

Bradley has already been through several surgeries at Denver Health and will need several more in the next few days. But his fellow firefighters have been right there by his side, supporting his wife while she waits through those surgeries.

As he navigates the long road to recovery, Bradley has an army of supporters by his side.

"Today, I saw him at the hospital down at Denver Health, and in our brief conversation, we were talking about getting him back on the job," said Charles.

"He still has his humor, he still has his positive outlook, but he's dealing with quite a bit," said Kuiken.

Berthoud's fire chief told CBS Colorado Denver Fire has treated Bradley like one of their own and says the family and department have received immense support from both the Denver and Berthoud communities.

Denver police say the crash is still under investigation, so we don't know what led that other driver to go the wrong way or if impairment was a factor.