On the afternoon of Saturday, April 26, people lined the main highway going through Lake City to welcome home one of their own.
Shad Barlow arrived in a recently purchased wheelchair-accessible minivan driven by his mother.
"That morning I was getting calls from locals asking me where we were supposed to meet, what the whole process was," said Hinsdale County Sheriff Denim Starnes. "People were wanting to know where they could set up their chairs. We had people in dinosaur costumes. It just kind of took on a life of its own."
Locals were on standby all day waiting for updates. His mother sent word when they left the rehabilitation center on the Front Range, where Barlow spent over two months.
"Sure enough, she let me know when they were in Gunnison so that kind of gave us an hour to gather, get ready, and prepare," Starnes said.
He said he flagged down their minivan once they got to town.
"I had a word with Shad," Starnes said. "I said, 'Hey man, welcome back. I don't know if you are aware but we have a lot of people that are really happy to see you home and you're going to be the guest of honor and we are going to drive you through town.'"
People cheered and held up signs while a motorcade of law enforcement, EMS, and local vehicles escorted the minivan along a nearly one-mile stretch though Lake City.
A life-changing accident
In the early morning on January 25, 2025, Barlow was found face down in the snow just off Highway 149 in Lake City.
A local resident heard Barlow's speaker playing music and then discovered him in the snow. It's estimated he was there for nearly three hours in sub-zero temperatures.
The hit-and-run accident left the 52-year-old with serious bodily injuries and severe frostbite.
He is now paralyzed from the waist down and will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
A Lake City man was arrested after the accident. He was charged with eight counts including vehicular assault and driving under the influence.
"I am very happy that Shad is alive because it's honestly a miracle that he survived what he did," Sheriff Starnes said. "This is the first case like this that anyone can remember."
Tiny Lake City rallies to support one of its own
Tammy Nekoba spearheaded the welcome home event for Barlow.
"Shad is really like an icon here," she said. "He's his own person. The community really loves him."
Nekoba met him in 2017 at her restaurant.
"And Shad used to come driving up on his [electric] bike with his Dukes of Hazzard horn blaring and then he would come in and have a meal," she said.
Barlow has autism. Before the accident, he lived in an apartment he rented from Nekoba for just over a year. It was the first time in his life he lived on his own for longer than six months.
Now, he's living again with his mother, who's in her 70's.
"I have disabled children myself," Nekoba said. "This is a hard job she has ahead of her and luckily she has this town and her daughter. And hopefully, this town will be able to fill in where they can't. I plan on trying to give a day a week."
Donations to Barlow's family via a Gofundme, collection jars in local business, and fundraising events generated enough for a wheelchair accessible minivan and renovations to his mother's home to make it accessible.
Lake City resident Justin Archeulta attended a sign-making event prior to the homecoming. He describes Barlow as kindhearted.
"Everybody knows him," Archeula said. "I don't know if that guy has an enemy. I don't think he does. If he did, they're in trouble."
Hinsdale County Sheriff Denim Starnes said he's looking forward to seeing Barlow around town in his new electric wheelchair.
"It's got like little tank tracks," he said. "I think it is all-wheel drive.I'm sure he will figure out where he can and can't go and he'll probably take that thing to places he shouldn't."
Starnes said Lake City may lack the accessibility of a big city, but this tight-knit community steps up, like lifting Barlow's wheelchair onto sidewalks and offering help however they can.
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