Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Dan Nelson was struck by a vehicle and killed while issuing a warning to a motorist on I-5 in Salem. An elderly driver, impaired by sleepiness, drifted across the fog line and struck him.
Survivors
Trooper Nelson had served as an officer for three years, four months and is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OR-E2D54B9C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Nelson gave the Oregon State Police 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Oregon. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Nelson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Dan Austin Nelson is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OR, 66 of 197 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.5% of this state's fallen. That is 2.5 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Oregon State Police, 15 of 31 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 48.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dan Austin Nelson's cause is highlighted.
How Dan Austin Nelson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dan Austin Nelson is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
30 officers from Oregon State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
