Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Joseph Ynostroza was killed in an automobile crash on U.S. Route 160 near Alamosa while en route to Cortez from Denver. During the drive, his patrol car veered into oncoming traffic and was struck head-on by a tractor-trailer. Although he was wearing his seat belt and his airbag deployed, the force of the impact was so severe it caused fatal injuries. Trooper Ynostroza had served with the Colorado State Patrol for 16 years. He was survived by his wife and three children. His son later went on to serve in the same agency.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-3C55E419- 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 Ynostroza gave the Colorado State Patrol 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Colorado. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Ynostroza.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Joseph A. Ynostroza 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 CO, 101 of 360 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Colorado State Patrol, 19 of 30 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 63.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph A. Ynostroza's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph A. Ynostroza Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph A. Ynostroza is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
29 officers from Colorado State Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
