Family, friends mourn the loss of Colorado father along Thornton intersection known for crashes
On one busy Colorado intersection now lies the heartbreaking reminder for the friends and family of 35-year-old Christian Santamaria.
"He did take his last breath right here," said Albert Ramos, who is one of Santamaria's friends.
Ramos and dozens of other friends and family members gathered together on that very same intersection at 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Thornton Monday night to honor Santamaria's life with a balloon release and vigil.
"It hard to come across someone that just cheers you on everything," said Derrick Deleon, who says Santamaria was almost like a brother.
"He was kind of like the glue for our crew. He kept everybody together," Ramos said. "He loved his kids a lot. He was a big family man, too. He loved his mom a lot, and I know he loved us like we were his family."
The father of eight was killed in a crash last Thursday night just after 11 p.m. Santamaria was driving his car home, and another vehicle crashed into his passenger side door as he was turning southbound on the intersection.
"Christian was one of the most real and honest people I've ever met," said Daniel Pastrana, another one of Santamaria's good friends.
Thornton police say an 18-year-old driver ran a red light at high speed while crossing the intersection and crashed into Santamaria's car.
Pastrana says it was only minutes earlier that Santamaria dropped him off to get his car nearby.
"When he left is when it happened. So, to be inside the car five minutes before it happened is like- very traumatizing," Pastrana said.
That intersection at 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard has become all too familiar with similar crashes.
Since 2021, police say there have been 91 crashes here, with this latest incident being the second fatality incident.
"When we have to go on these things, over and over and over again, those traumatic events add up for the first responders too," said Chris Fusetti, division commander for the Thornton Police Department.
In this case, Fusetti says they believe the suspect may have been impaired by some sort of substance.
"This behavior is totally preventable. So, when you choose to drink or use drugs and get behind the wheel of a car, you're taking your life and the life of everybody else around you into your hands," said Fusetti. "So, my message is 'please stop.'"
Last year, the city of Thornton announced plans to install red light cameras at some of the city's higher traffic, higher incident areas, including where Santamaria was hit. That project is still in the works, but police do hope to see that and speed vans installed in areas around the city later this year.
However, both police and Santamaria's loved ones say it is also crucial for more drivers to take responsibility behind the wheel.
"Things like this can be avoided," Pastrana said.
"It's very unfortunate that we still have folks out there that just continue to just drift in that manner, not really understanding the cause of what they're actually doing," Santamaria's friend Deleon said.
Thornton Police tell CBS News Colorado they're still working with the DA's office on this case, and no arrests or charges have been announced as of Monday night.
