Distracted Driving Victims
In 2021, CDOT unveiled a life-size car dashboard display that allows people to look through the windshield and experience the true stories of people injured or killed in distracted driving crashes.
Victim Testimonials
Susan Dane spends sunny weekends on the back of her motorcycle, enjoying the many scenic roads Colorado has to offer. She sees drivers using their phones behind the wheel nearly every ride and has had numerous near misses with distracted drivers, but it was the loss of her friends Brian and Jacquie Lehner in 2016 that compelled her to start Coloradans Organized for Responsible Driving (CORD).
Brian and Jacquie were riding their Harley-Davidson on Highway 82 in February when an oncoming driver crossed the double-yellow line and hit them head on. Both of the Lehners were killed. The driver was later found to have been texting at the time of the crash.
Bob Frank was initially thrilled to upgrade his old, worn out truck to a new, F-250. His joy was short-lived however when he was rear-ended while on an on-ramp by a driver who was texting and failed to see the stopped traffic. A few short months later, Frank was rear-ended again, this time while waiting at a red light. When he exited his vehicle to check on the driver who hit him, she had a phone to her ear and was telling her caller, “hang on just a second, I’ve got to go finish this text – I just hit someone.”
To round out the year, Bob was headed out to dinner with his wife when he was rear-ended for a third time, this time while waiting to turn into a shopping center, but once again by a driver who was texting and did not see him stop. Ten months. Three rear-end collisions. Several minor injuries and one repeatedly damaged truck. All caused by a distracted driver.
Craig Towler had just finished work as a timing specialist for an endurance race in Boulder on July 4, 2016. He was looking forward to going to see the fireworks at Folsom Field and celebrating the holiday with loved ones. He was parked in front of his house and was unloading his vehicle when he was struck from behind by a driver who was both texting and impaired.
Craig lost both of his legs that day, and nearly his life, but he was determined to continue to live a fulfilled life. A Boulder native, he has adapted from being a runner, cyclist and hiker to exploring the area’s trails from his wheelchair and handcycle. Today, he focuses on raising awareness for the dangers of distracted and impaired driving and helping others navigate life-changing events.
Traci Carpenter remembers her aunt, Nancy Condit, as a bright, kind soul who loved to create whimsical interpretations of the world around her through art. She spent her days in her own Sand Dollar Studio-Gallery in the Platte Park neighborhood and her weekends cycling across the Denver Metro area. On July 1, 2018, she was struck and killed by a reckless driver while out on her bicycle in south Denver. The driver was holding a phone and speeding when they collided with Condit.
