Wife Pleads For Witnesses To Fatal Crash Near Larkspur To Come Forward
By Andrea Flores
DENVER (CBS4) - The wife of one of three victims injured in a single-vehicle crash near the Greenland exit of Interstate 25 is asking for the public's help as the Colorado State Patrol works to figure out if another vehicle may be to blame.
All three victims worked for Chacka Moving and Transport based out of Denver. Valentin Baca, or Tim as he was known by loved ones, owned the business and often hired friends and family members as movers to help them get back on their feet.
Jennifer Baca, Tim's wife of 16 years, leaves behind three children and the business he started from the ground up.
Jennifer Baca says her husband was behind the wheel on the frontage road along the northbound lanes of I-25 near Larkspur when the SUV he was driving plummeted 20 feet into a culvert.
Tim Baca's cousin and employee, 40-year-old Simon Mejia, was also in the SUV, along with 15-year-old Marcos Johnson, the son of Mejia's girlfriend. The men were working on a moving job and were on their way back to Denver when they crashed.
Two of Tim Baca's cousins were in a moving truck not far behind the SUV. Jennifer Baca says the men watched the whole scene unfold, and even tried to help the three victims out of the car before it burst into flames.
Now family members are asking witnesses to come forward and provide information to the Colorado State Patrol.
"This didn't have to happen. I lost my best friend, my kids' father, and my rock," said Jennifer Baca. "If you have information, pleases turn it in."
Investigators are working to determine what led up to the crash, but believe Tim Baca was trying to avoid a collision with another car before he crashed. They also say it appears he was driving the speed limit, but are looking into witness reports of another car brake-checking seconds before the crash.
Additional Resources
Loved ones have started a GoFundMe campaign to help support the victims' families.
