~ On September 2, 2026, a tragic traffic accident occurred on East Platte Avenue in Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) received a call at 4:40 p.m. reporting a two-vehicle crash with injuries near the intersection of East Platte Avenue and North Chelton Road.

According to the preliminary investigation, a motorcycle traveling eastbound on East Platte Avenue collided with a sedan that was making a left turn from a frontage road access onto westbound East Platte Avenue. The impact of the collision resulted in the death of the motorcycle operator, who was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Due to the severity of the crash, CSPD's Major Crash Team was called in to take over the investigation. After two weeks of thorough investigation, on September 14, 2026, CSPD received confirmation from the El Paso County Coroner's Office that the deceased had been identified as 57-year-old Patrick Bendele.

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This tragic incident marks the 44th traffic fatality in Colorado Springs for the year 2026. Comparatively, at this time last year, there were only 40 traffic fatalities reported in the city. In total, there have been 57 traffic-related fatalities within Colorado Springs over the past year.

The investigation into this incident is still ongoing and considered an open and active case by CSPD. Anyone with information or who may have witnessed this accident is urged to contact CSPD at 719-444-7000. For those who wish to remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 719-634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.

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