The family of Joseph Balles has a message for the drivers who smashed into him while he was riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Interstate 25 and then took off.
“We are pleading for you to come forward and take responsibility for this mistake,” said Balles’ daughter Margaret Ford.
Balles, 55, was hit Monday about 3:30 p.m. on southbound I-25 at 58th Avenue.
He was taken to Denver Health Medical Center but removed from life support Wednesday, family members said.
According to family members, Balles was on his way to pick up his grandson from school.
“We don’t feel it was road rage. It looked like two cars attempted to change lanes,” State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said.
The accident is still under investigation, Watkins said.
Investigators believe that Balles was sideswiped simultaneously by two vehicles changing lanes.
A witness reported seeing a dark-color sport utility vehicle leaving the accident scene, Watkins said.
The motorcycle enthusiast was born in Pueblo and lived in Denver for more than 45 years. He cleaned bus shelters and was employed for 29 years by the Regional Transportation District.
His family gathered Wednesday to make funeral arrangements. His children remembered their father as a man who raised four daughters alone and who enjoyed helping people who were down on their luck.
Ford recalled a time when her father met a homeless man who had no shoes so he gave him his.
“That was just his way,” Ford said.
Funeral services are being planned in Denver, with burial in Imperial Cemetery in Pueblo.
Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the Colorado State Patrol at 303-239-4501.
Staff writer Annette Espinoza can be reached at 303-820-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com.
