A community memorial still exists at the southwest corner of West 62nd Avenue and Ward Road, months after the Sept. 8 tragedy ended the lives of three teenagers.
Angelina Ford, Kayla DeMars and Danny LoSasso, all 17, died after the vehicle they rode in was broadsided by a refrigerator truck traveling southbound on Ward Road. Jeremiah Ogden, 18, the driver, survived.
“People needed that (memorial) to deal with their grief,” said Rick Ford, father of Angelina Ford.
But for Ford, there’s no forgetting what he lost in that accident — his only child.
“I drive past Arvada West (High School) and think of all the times I took her to school,” Ford said. “I think of all the times I took her to school at Oberon (Middle School) and all the times I picked her up and took her to Fremont (Elementary School). Everything in this area is a memory.”
Ford lives a block from the scene of the accident; close enough that he heard the car crash that night, recalling that it sounded like an explosion. It wasn’t until hours later that he found out it claimed his daughter’s life.
“What do you do?” Ford asked. “You either learn to live with things and go on, or you go in your room, close the door, and you fade away.”
As Ford learns to move on with his loss, he discussed the challenges he’s faced since the accident, the impact it had on the community and how he’s dealing with the loss of his daughter.
“We’re pulling through. We’ll be OK, but we’ll never be the same. We’ll never be all right,” Ford said about himself and his wife. “We’re going to learn how to live with it, but we’re going to be different.”
Ford recalled the summer trips he took with Angelina. They went to various amusement parks and rode the roller coasters. He talked about the time they went to Florida and the alligators they saw.
“We were really good buddies, and it’s amazing that the thing I love the most in life is gone,” Ford said. “The coming to grips with that and trying to understand why these things happen and trying to sort it all out has been a challenge for me. I’m not losing my mind or anything, but it’s incredibly sad.”
Ford’s biggest challenge was calling his family to deliver the news about Angelina’s death. It’s difficult to call a relative and tell them that their granddaughter or that their niece died, he said.
Two other families had to make those calls, Ford said. He feels for them too, including the kids’ friends.
“We occasionally talk to some of the other kids who knew them, and they’re still devastated,” Ford said.
Ford mentioned how it was strange that three life-taking incidents happened in his neighborhood just a few blocks apart from each other. He cited the killings at the Youth With a Mission facility and the shooting of a woman working at a nearby Burger King.
“The police here are right on it,” Ford said. “They were very professional. I feel safe here. We live in a good area. These are just things that could happen anywhere.”
It’s Ford’s faith in God and the community support that has helped him and his wife get through their loss. Strangers have written the family and visited them to reach out during their tough times.
“Everyone has been very loving, supportive and prayerful for us, and we appreciate that,” Ford said. “That’s definitely more than helped, and we needed that, and we still do.”
Ford hopes the tragic car accident makes people more aware about the importance of life.
“Maybe people will learn to be thankful for what they have and count their blessings,” Ford said. “Maybe from tragedy something good can come from it.”
Arvada Community Editor Nicholas Dewart can be reached at 303-279-5541, ext. 24.