Nineteen balloons were released into the sky above Vail on Monday as friends of a recent Niwot High School graduate killed in an accident celebrated her life.
Attached to the balloons were notes written by friends and family of Jenny Martinez, 19, of Niwot, who died in an accident on an icy stretch of Interstate 70 on Dec. 14. The notes recounted memories and expressed the love they felt for Martinez, who was a freshman at St. Mary’s College in California.
Martinez and her boyfriend, Andrew Reed, 19, were returning from a concert in Vail by the Fray when Reed lost control of his pickup as they approached the C-470 interchange.
Reed survived with minor injuries. There was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a part in the wreck, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
Friends hope her death will alert other young people to the dangers of driving in bad weather.
“Kids, on the whole, are naive about driving in that kind of weather,” said Natalie Medved, 18, a friend of Martinez.
Martinez was a fiercely competitive lacrosse player who ran a lacrosse camp for children in Niwot in the summer.
Natalie Medved met Martinez when they played on opposing teams while both were in high school.
“She threw a ball at me and hit me in the helmet. I said, ‘Hey, man that’s not cool.’ She was upset that before she could take her shot the game ended.”
Later, they met on St. Mary’s campus where both were attending college. They laughed about the incident.
Medved plans to ask members of the Fray, a four-member band from Denver, to play a special concert for her friend. The money would go to a foundation that Martinez’s parents set up to help children learn to play lacrosse.
Martinez was well liked, said Debi Medved, Natalie’s mother. An estimated 1,400 people attended her funeral.
“She was just a hugger with a bright smile. She was the first one to lend a hand or give a hug,” said Debi Medved.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
