CHP officer fatally struck on I-80 remembered as kind, caring

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KGO) -- The community is remembering CHP Officer Nathan Taylor, also known as Nate, who was hit by a car and killed on Interstate 80 near Donner summit last weekend as he was investigating another accident.

After graduating the academy, Taylor spent three years at CHP in San Jose.

A video shows Taylor carrying a woman to safety. "He carried me because I hurt my ankle," Patti Merlo said.

In a video, Taylor said: "She was having a little trouble walking there."

The moment was caught on camera, but it wouldn't have mattered if a news crew was there. Helping others was second nature to Taylor.

In a Facebook post that has gone viral, Paxton Brewer wrote: While hitchhiking after a failed ski trip, Taylor gave him a ride. He even offered to drive him home to Sacramento after his shift.

Brewer wrote: "Nathan Taylor was a good man. He was kind and giving and he wanted to help. He challenged my prejudice against the police. He inspired me to be a better man."

"I'm sure anybody that read that, who knew him is not at all surprised by that. That's the type of things that he did," CHP Ofc. Ross Lee said.

Lee worked with Officer Taylor for 3 years in San Jose and he attended attended a Sacramento service in his honor Tuesday morning. "Incredibly kind, caring, very, very smart," Lee said.

News of Taylor's death is striking beyond the law enforcement community. "He was just a really nice guy and I'm shocked that something has happened to him," Merlo said.

It's why Paxton Brewer decided to share his post thanking Taylor.

He wrote: "Buying him a six-pack or dinner seems so small in scope now. I am sharing this in an effort to broaden that scope, to repay him by inspiring others to be good."

"It makes you proud to have known him," Lee said.

Taylor leaves behind a wife and three children.

The community is remembering CHP Officer Nathan Taylor, also known as Nate, who was hit by a car and killed on Interstate 80 near Donner summit last weekend as he was investigating another accident.