Friends Remember Victim Of Fatal Wrong-Way Crash
By Jamie Leary
WINDSOR, Colo. (CBS4) - It was early Thanksgiving morning. Nash Rider, 16, and Kyle Nackos, 19, were headed back from a concert. It was just after 3 a.m. when a Jeep, driven by Alex Rodriguez, 25, of Fort Lupton, slammed into Rider's Subaru.
Rodriguez was driving the wrong way down Interstate 25 near Highway 7. Colorado State Patrol believe he was drunk. The impact of the crash crushed the Subaru and killed Nackos. It nearly killed Rider as well.
"It being a drunk driver makes everything worse because it wasn't just an accident," said Kyle's close friend Cameron Fuller.
Kyle's friends say he was outgoing and loved by all. He was a recent graduate from Windsor High School. That's where he met Rider. The school planned a vigil for both Friday night to help students and staff cope with the sudden loss and to keep Rider in their thoughts and prayers.
While Rider is now stable, his injuries are severe.
"I read the text saying that Nash had two broken legs, swelling in the brain, bleeding from the abdomen and that Kyle did not make it. I probably read that text three times to make sure it said what I thought it said," said Hunter Christy, another close friend of the two teens.
Christy said he was supposed to attend the concert with the two but decided not to go. He said Kyle tweeted about the concert just hours before he died. When one of the performers found out that his fan was killed by a drunk driver, he retweeted that tweet.
The artist then shared a GofundMe page for the teen's funeral expenses. That link was shared and liked more than 100 times. The GoFundMe Page has since reached nearly $14,000.
Nash Rider's friends and family have also set up a GoFundMe page for his medical expenses. That has reached nearly $11,000.
Alex Rodriguez suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital late Friday afternoon. He tentatively faces vehicular homicide charges.
The case is still under investigation.
