By Chandra Johnson
The Taos News
TAOS CANYON, N.M. — A volunteer firefighter was killed Thursday morning (Dec. 30) after the car he was riding in lost control on icy roads in Taos Canyon, the Taos County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday.
Ian Bodson, 29, died on the operating table Thursday at Holy Cross Hospital of internal injuries, Sgt. Michael Tafoya said, when it became clear he could not be flown elsewhere for treatment. Bodson was a volunteer with the Río Fernando Volunteer Fire Department.
The collision, which occurred just after 9 a.m. Thursday morning, happened on a sharp curve of U.S. 64 East, Tafoya said.
“It was the same curve where we’ve had a couple of fatal accidents,” Tafoya said. “The driver said he lost control of the vehicle because the roads were icy. He spun into the west-bound lane and hit another car coming in the opposite direction.”
Río Fernando Fire Chief Russ Driskell said firefighters did the best they could for their comrade at the scene.
“Three of us were immediately there, but we didn’t know it was him until he was gone,” Driskell said.
Tafoya said no criminal charges were being pressed in the matter and that alcohol was not a factor.
Tafoya also said it was unclear whether Bodson was wearing a seatbelt, as he was sitting in the back seat, which sustained most of the impact.
Bodson’s mother Deb, told The Taos News her son was passionate about firefighting and was on his way to getting his EMT certification.
“I’ll miss his exuberance, his enthusiastic nature and interest in new things,” Deb Bodson said. “But I hope everyone realizes that they have to extend concern to everyone who was involved in the accident.”
A native of Iowa, Bodson was a Civil War re-enactor who attended Wentworth Military Academy before a shoulder injury dashed his hopes of serving in the military.
Bodson’s family helped to found Río Fernando Volunteer Fire Department and Bodson found another chance at service with Río Fernando when he moved to Taos in 2009.
The tradition of community firefighting — dating back to ancient Rome — was also very important to Bodson, Driskell said.
“Being a firefighter comes from the heart. You have to be somebody who’s willing to give time at any time of day to someone they don’t know,” Driskell said. “Ian was living his grandfather’s legacy.”
For Driskell and other Río Fernando firefighters, Bodson’s death was more than losing a co-worker.
“He was a family member. To lose one of our own that way was tough,” Driskell said. “For me, the personal loss is that Ian was someone I could eventually see replacing me as chief.”
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