Frank Bingham often turns on music to occupy the silence once filled with the noise of his children singing, happily banging on the piano or dancing to their favorite music.
Bingham’s wife, Becca, and their two children – 4-year-old Macie and 2-year-old Garrison – were killed in a hit-and-run accident Nov. 10 when a truck allegedly driven by Lawrence Trujillo sped through the intersection of 15th and Arapahoe streets in downtown Denver.
“I had a wonderful marriage to a fabulous woman, and we had smart, healthy children,” said Bingham, who was injured in the incident. “I really try to be thankful for that.”
Yet Bingham, who broke his silence Thursday in an interview with 9News, is not truly alone. Cards and letters from hundreds of strangers share how the tragedy has given them a greater appreciation for their lives and loved ones.
Two of the letters came from people who tried to help save Macie and Garrison, who would have turned 3 years old today.
“I will never forget holding your son, trying desperately to breathe life back into him and wondering how cruel some people can be,” wrote a doctor from Illinois, who was in Denver for a medical conference and came upon the scene. “Today I am a different person. Difficulties or conflicts in my own life now seem so utterly insignificant. … Your son, I hope, has made me a better person.”
Bingham also has gotten comfort from a woman who witnessed the accident.
“I saw the little boy was asleep (in his stroller), and his sister sitting beside him was happily swinging her feet.” Moments later “we heard a horrendous screech of tires.”
The woman ran to the girl’s side. “There was no crying for help, or pain like you might expect; only stillness, peace and sacredness. There was nothing any of us could do, because God was already there.”
Bingham said he tries to avoid thinking about the violence of the incident.
“To hear there wasn’t suffering … it isn’t what you would expect at all, so that was a relief.”
Memories, too, help sustain him. He recalls how Macie learned new things each day: “I took her to school not long before the accident, and she was in the back seat and counted to 100 for me.”
Garrison shared his passion for books. The little boy’s enthusiasm was infectious.
“It’s too bad it takes something so horrible to make us think sometimes,” Bingham said. “I am so thankful Becca and I held hands, but now I wish we would have 10 times as much.
“We have choices. We can either sit on the opposite ends of the couch from our spouse or sit next to each other. We can save our children’s artwork or not. ”
Bingham refuses to think about Trujillo, who faces multiple counts of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident as well as two counts of child abuse resulting in death. He will be in court in March.
“If there ever was a case where the thoughtlessness, lack of good sense and humanity came across the court system, this has got to be one of them. I hope and pray it unfolds as it should,” Bingham said.
He continues to rely on his faith as he faces day after day without his family.
“It’s a process of healing, but it’s not a process of getting beyond it. It will be a lifelong process. I am grateful that so many people tell me how this is making them a better person. I sincerely hope and pray that it makes me a better person too.”
How to help: “Bingham Books,” a memorial fund established through the Denver Foundation, will help provide books to local schools and the Denver Public Library. Call 303-300-1790 for information.
