Crowd Gathers For Vigil To Remember Young Father Killed By Reckless Driver
DENVER (CBS4) - Family and friends gathered to leave pictures and even personal messages near the crash site where Sebastian Evridge was killed the night of Monday, Aug. 4. His family wants it to be a place where they can come to remember him, not what happened.
A crowd of people stood on the sidewalk near West 44 Avenue and Federal Boulevard Monday night, each with a different memory of a young man they lost.
For Ray Evridge, that young man was his son.
"He was a good man, a very good man ... didn't deserve what happened," Ray said at the vigil.
Evridge, 21, died after his Jeep was struck from behind by a reckless driver. Investigators said the impact caused his gas tank to rupture, and then explode. The young father was trapped inside, and his passenger badly wounded.
"It's important to remember him not because of what happened right here on this street, but because of his life," said Alexa Matson, Sebastian's sister.
She spoke about the loss of her younger brother in front of dozens who gathered to celebrate his life. She said he was hardworking, kind, and the kind of person who could always make you laugh.
"You can just look at these pictures and see how amazing he was," Matson said.
The night was filled with tears, followed by hugs, and even smiles when sharing memories of the young father.
Ricardo Gardea, the driver who hit Evridge, he was arrested after trying to flee the scene.
He's now facing a number of charges including first-degree murder.
