Just before Stephen Dabney left his Brighton home for his daily walk, he woke his wife, hugged her and told her he loved her — words he said often but uttered for the last time Saturday morning.
A distracted driver struck Dabney and brothers Seth and Jarren Lewis, 22 and 14, as they walked along a rural stretch of a Thornton road, killing the older two.
The victims’ families are mourning their lost loved ones and struggling financially in the wake of the accident, but they say they don’t harbor anger for the driver, Michael Grennan.
“Everybody’s hurting. It was a perfect storm of things that happened. We all recognize it’s a horrific accident,” said Tim Rucker, Dabney’s father-in-law. “Anyone that says they’ve never been distracted and veered a little bit into another lane is lying. Our hearts go out to him (Grennan) and his family.”
Police are working to determine what distracted Grennan, a 33-year-old metal worker and father from Loveland. Thornton police have sought a search warrant for his cellphone to determine whether he was using it at the time, though his family says he wasn’t.
Grennan could face a misdemeanor count of careless driving resulting in death, but he has not been charged while the investigation is ongoing.
Jarren Lewis, who goes by JJ, has been released from the hospital with no broken bones, but he is using a cane and must undergo physical therapy, said family friend Lynda Slavens.
“JJ’s having a real hard time. He’s sad,” she said. “He doesn’t remember anything from the accident except seeing his brother’s body.”
Slavens described Seth Lewis as a gentle soul and a “big teddy bear.” She said the funeral and medical bills have been taxing on the single-parent household.
Dabney and his wife were raising three children.
Rucker described him as a dedicated father, an imaginative woodworker, an avid outdoorsman who crossed the Great Divide every other year and a tradesman on disability after suffering a brain injury.
“He was a godsend for my daughter,” Rucker said. “Those two found each other, and it brought them both to center and made them both whole.”
Dabney regularly took long walks in the area and frequently brought his young sons with him, though not Saturday.
His widow, Carla, works evenings at a restaurant, and it’s unclear whether she will receive life insurance, Rucker said.
The Lewis and the Dabney families have set up memorial funds at Wells Fargo to help pay funeral costs. Those who wish to contribute can go to a bank branch and request to make a donation by family name.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
