Colorado town makes traffic safety improvements as grieving mom keeps son's memory alive

CBS News

25-04-2025

At the corner of Parker Road and Mainstreet, a traffic pole sits decorated with flowers and photos of Brendan Lee Davis-Hulse, forever 21.
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Brendan's mother, Amy Hudnall, visits the site, which she calls "Brendan's pole," at least once a week.
The intersection is inherently dangerous, as a walkable downtown pedestrian area intersects with a busy highway. But in the last few years, the town of Parker has taken significant steps to increase safety.
"He was my hugger," said Hudnall. "He wanted everybody to be okay before him, and then he could sit and relax."
Hudnall describes her son as caring, observant and interested in film. He was an older brother to her son Aidan.
"Aidan, his brother, 100%, they were just best buds," Hudnall said.
On Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, Brendan spent the evening on Mainstreet in Parker, meeting the father of a girl he was seeing for the first time.
"He quickly started to get, like, antsy that week," Hudnall said.
CBS Colorado's Olivia Young interviews Amy Hudnall.
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Around 9:30 p.m., he called his parents, hoping to get a ride home to avoid getting in the car with someone who had been drinking.
"He chose to do the right thing," Hudnall said. "He sounded really happy, and he just sounded like, 'Okay, time to go home. Do you guys think you can get me a Lyft?'"
While on the phone with them, he crossed Parker Road.
"I just started hearing screaming," Hudnall said. "We kept saying, 'Brendan,' we said it six or seven times. 'Brendan. Brendan. Brendan, are you okay? Brendan, what's going on?' No response, no response."
Soon after, a police officer called to tell Amy that Brendan had been hit by a car and killed.
"It was the worst day of my life. My life was over, to me, to us, to our family, to his brother," Hudnall said.
Parker police investigators found that "the proximate cause of the crash was the pedestrian disobeying traffic control devices and traffic regulations and entering the roadway when unsafe to do so."
They did not find any evidence of wrongdoing on the driver's part, and the driver was not charged.
"I do believe there's accidents that are just that. They're, accidents," Hudnall said. "What would Brendan want? What really is justice? And regardless, forgiveness, for me?" she asked.
Months after Brendan's death, Amy said she had a phone call with the driver and forgave her.
"She picked up, and I said, 'This is Amy,' and that's it. That's all I had to say. And she just broke down, crying hysterically," Hudnall said. "All she could say was how sorry she was, that it's just eating her alive. And if she could get pictures, I mean, she just wanted anything to, like, she wanted to know about Brendan."
After Brendan's death, Amy was determined to increase pedestrian safety on Parker Road. She believes it's on both drivers and pedestrians to keep everyone safe.
"Pedestrians need to pay attention. I can't speak for Brendan. He's no longer here, so I don't know what was going through his mind," Hudnall said.
She called on the town to install flashing pedestrian lights at crosswalks, increase crossing times at Mainstreet and Parker Road, and create a designated rideshare pickup area downtown.
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"I had this weird energy to make change right away after the funeral," Hudnall said. "I feel like everybody's trying to make that change happen, to make this a safer place where we can go walking."
Another Parker woman, Teri Vogel, has been calling for similar change since her husband, Chuck, was killed in a hit-and-run while cycling in 2019.
In response to the women, the town of Parker has pledged to increase pedestrian crossing times at Mainstreet and Parker Road during downtown events, add a designated rideshare loading zone downtown and install "3 Feet to Pass" signage throughout town.
In the last four years, Parker has spent more than $20 million on traffic safety improvements, including the addition of flashing beacons at some crosswalks.
This year, Parker police have also increased traffic enforcement, making 72% more traffic stops in March compared to the same month last year.
"I never want people to forget Brendan," Hudnall said.
Today, Brendan's pole serves as a memory of the big brother and loving son, and a reminder for drivers and pedestrians to take care.
The Town of Parker shared the below details about traffic safety changes made in response to community outcry:
The Town of Parker is committed to the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in our community. We have been in contact with both Ms. Hudnall and Ms. Vogel in response to their concerns with traffic safety in our community. Among the outcomes from these discussions are:
The Town has committed to replacing the existing "Share the Road" signage with "3 feet to Pass" signage in Parker.
The Town has committed to increasing the pedestrian crossing times at the intersection of Parker Road and Mainstreet during large events in the downtown area.
The Town has added a new designated Rideshare/Loading Zone in the downtown area to provide a safe pickup/dropoff area for users of rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft.
Additionally, over the past 4-plus years, the Town has spent more than $20 million in other multi-modal and traffic safety improvements within Parker. These enhancements include:
The addition of new, Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at various crossings to help pedestrians and cyclists safely cross major roadways;
The installation of Speed Feedback Signs to help address speeding in residential areas by informing motorists of their current speeds;
The addition of In-pavement Pedestrian Crossing Signs at select Parker intersections to alert motorists of frequent pedestrian crossings; and
The addition of new sidewalks/trails along Parker Road and other high-traffic roadways to provide safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
In addition to these infrastructure enhancements, the Parker Police Department has increased its traffic enforcement efforts this year in response to resident concerns about traffic safety. Through March, traffic stops by the Parker Police have seen a 72% increase compared to 2024 figures.
The Town of Parker will continue to work with residents and other stakeholders in the future to promote traffic safety in our community. This includes partnering with the Colorado Department of Transportation to ensure safe travel along the Parker Road (SH 83) corridor, which is a state highway.