Tyler Carron and Nikko Landeros dream of walking again, and motorcyclists on May 12 will move them a step closer.
The two Berthoud High athletes had their legs crushed at the knees in an accident Jan. 15 after a school dance. They had stopped along Larimer County Road 17 to change a tire when another student slammed into the back of their Isuzu Trooper, pinning the two boys.
Because of intense fundraising, they will get new knees in the next few weeks and will be fitted for prosthetic legs soon after. “I just can’t wait to walk again,” Carron said Monday.
The prosthetic legs cost about $50,000 per leg, said Elmer Becker, Carron’s uncle and one of the organizers of the 90-mile motorcycle ride from Firestone to Carter Lake to Loveland.
Organizers hope to raise $100,000 from the ride, beating the $88,000 raised from a spaghetti dinner a week after the accident.
“The expenses they have aren’t going to go away tomorrow,” Becker said. “It’s for the rest of their lives.”
The community support and the boys’ bonds as friends and athletes have seen them through, said Landeros. “It keeps us going,” he said.
Carron added, “I think it’s great how much support we’ve gotten. We’re just two regular kids.”
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
“Poker run” motorcycle ride
A “poker run” on May 12 will raise money for Tyler Carron and Nikko Landeros. Registration is at 9 a.m. at Thunder Mountain Harley Davidson in Firestone. The 90-mile round-trip ride starts at 10 a.m. at Thunder Mountain and ends at about 2:30 p.m. at the Yukon Bar & Grill in Loveland. The cost is $15 per rider, and $10 for passengers. For information, go to www.berthoudcares.com.
