If the woman who drove into and killed two 14-year-old boys had a medical problem at the time of Friday’s crash, the boys’ families can accept that.
If Jesse Aguirre and Nhan Nguyen of Denver were struck by a careless driver, then forgiveness will be hard to come by.
“If it was medical, we have to be sympathetic,” said Nhan’s 34-year- old sister, Samantha Nguyen. “If it wasn’t, I would have a problem with that.”
Jesse’s grandmother, Ti quia Barron, said in Spanish that she wanted to know why her grandson was run over but did not want to place any blame until she finds answers.
Police say Sandra Maul, 64, of Denver was driving the Jeep and is under investigation for vehicular homicide.
Maul was taken to Denver Health Medical Center with serious injuries after the crash. Her condition was unknown late Sunday, but she remained at the hospital in custody of Denver police, said Detective John White.
Police are investigating the possibility that Maul had a medical condition that contributed to the crash. They do not believe illegal drugs or alcohol were factors.
Nhan and Jesse were walking together north on South Federal Boulevard near West Colorado Avenue from Abraham Lincoln High School to study and play games at a computer center. They were hit from behind by a white Jeep that had veered onto the sidewalk. The Jeep dragged the boys about 20 feet and stopped only after the driver struck a tree, police said.
“They were inseparable,” Samantha Nguyen said of the two boys. “They did everything together. At least they went together.”
Their families grieved privately but extended condolences to each other in Vietnamese and Spanish during brief visits over the weekend.
“Their house was full of family, and they did not speak the same language, but they were sharing in the same grief,” Samantha Nguyen said of the two families. “You look in their faces, and the tears in their faces are the same. It’s universal.”
Jesse loved soccer and boxing, and he wanted to be an architect. He was the eldest of four brothers and liked to fight with them, but he was also kind and generous with his video games, said his little brother, Erick Aguirre, 13.
Nhan’s older brother, Tien Nguyen, 30, said Nhan was about to come live with him in Boston and attend high school so that Nhan could have more options in deciding where he should go to college.
Tien Nguyen flew into Denver from Boston on Friday night but did not make it in time to say goodbye to his brother. Nhan was the youngest of five siblings.
“He was the last of us, and he was very special,” Nguyen said. “He was already very mature and very much a gentleman, opening doors for his mom and his sister.”
Nhan’s eldest sister is having a tough time accepting her brother’s death. She says Nhan was born a year after her parents were reunited from a 10-year separation when half the family fled from Vietnam in the 1980s.
“He was born like a sun ray into our lives,” Samantha Nguyen said. “We did not think one day we would have to bury him like this.”
Jesse’s brother Erick said he got a chance to say goodbye to Jesse on Friday night just before he died at the hospital.
“We prayed, and I told him to be strong,” Erick said. “We did a whole bunch together, and I don’t know what I am going to do now.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
This story has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporter’s error, the name of Nhan Nguyen was spelled incorrectly.
