In Fort Collins, Colorado, Jason Telleen, 37, was run over and killed by a coworker driving a city bus in January 2023. Jason’s mother, Patricia Telleen, donated part of his life insurance money to the Animal Friends Alliance, a no kill shelter; her son had been an avid animal lover.
According to Yahoo News, Patricia said she could feel her son’s presence the moment she walked into the shelter. And it is her hope that people will recognize how much Jason loved animals, and how much he is loved now.
We’ve always had dogs in our household, at least two. Every time we had pets, we had at least two running around. He had one little favorite dog named Schatzie, a little salt and pepper Schnauzer. It was his favorite dog out of his entire life. This little dog could imitate him. Whatever sounds he made, the dog could mock him like a parrot.
The death of her son has been extremely difficult for Patricia. The district attorney decided not to prosecute the driver, stating he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to procure a conviction. Video footage using a dash-cam inside the bus showed the driver hitting Telleen while he had been walking on the bus tarmac at the city’s bus headquarters. The driver can be seen backing over Telleen’s body as the bus was approaching the designated bay.
The City of Fort Collins stated it complied with federal law related to rules on post-accident testing for fatal accidents, and the driver’s alcohol and drug test results were negative.
In just a matter of seconds and because of terrible timing, Jason Telleen had been visible for eight seconds on the driver’s left side as he drove down the center of the tarmac before taking a hard left to enter the designated bay. Most likely Telleen thought the bus was going straight and had no need to avoid the bus until it was too late. At that moment, the bus turned left and ran over Telleen.
When interviewed by police, the driver said he realized he hit something and immediately backed up – over Telleen. When he looked out he saw his friend’s body; it had been traumatizing.
A statement was posted from the DA’s office. Following is a part of the release:
While the consequences of this accident are tragic, the evidence does not support the conclusion that [the driver] had the requisite criminal culpability when he drove into Mr. Telleen.
While parking area surveillance video clearly shows Mr. Telleen walking across the parking lot in front of the bus, that footage does not accurately reflect what the bus driver would have seen at the time. An initial review and reconciliation of the footage…
Patricia is a widow, and her son had been the center of her life. Thankfully she said she was able to find a cause near and dear to her son’s heart to keep his memory alive.
The generous donation has been most appreciated by the Animal Friends Alliance. The gift will be used to finish purchasing their other property on Mulberry Street, where their community pet resources are located, helping more than 10,000 animals in the community.
What a genuinely wonderful mother Patricia is – preserving the memory of her son in a cause so near and dear to a lot of our hearts.
This will surely help the shelter continue their work.
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