AURORA, Colo. — Just days before Thanksgiving, Jose Rodriguez’s family is gathering to grieve.
“Hug your sons and your daughters a little closer,” he told Denver7 Tuesday. “You never know what's going to happen.”
A stolen car in Aurora Monday afternoon led to a deadly crash just an hour later on Highway 83 in Douglas County, according to police.
The crash happened about 10 miles south of Franktown. According to Colorado State Patrol, the driver of the stolen Toyota hatchback lost control of the car and swerved into the oncoming lane of traffic, where it hit a Ford sedan head-on. The 31-year-old driver of the Toyota was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash took the lives of the 35-year-old driver Alvin Corado three children: 12-year-olds Jase Green and Makenlee Corado as well as and eight-year-old Toretto Corado.
“My heart dropped to my feet because my fiancée, that's, she's like their other mother,” said Rodriguez, who is engaged to the sister of the Corado children’s mother, Marissa. “Native American culture, which they are, everybody, aunties and grandma… everybody's babies is their babies.”
Fourteen-year-old Jordan Green and 13-year-old Mia Corado survived, but were sent to the hospital.
Denver7 Traffic
Car involved in DougCo crash that killed 5 was stolen one hour earlier: PD
Rodriguez said Tuesday that he only had an update on the condition of Mia Corado.
“That's my niece,” he said. “She's doing great. Actually, she's recovering well. Her vital signs are great… The incident gave her a fractured pelvis, they lacerated her liver, and also gave her a protrusion, or a hole, in her esophagus… She went through surgery yesterday, and she's recovering like a champ. She's a warrior.”
Since the crash, the family has been gathering at Children’s Hospital in Aurora. Some have driven from as far as South Dakota.
“Everybody that can be here is here,” said Rodriguez. “You know, grandma and grandpa haven't left the hospital since the first night. All the aunts and uncles are here. The cousins are here.”
With the road to recovery just starting, the Green and Corado families have started GoFundMe fundraisers that have already raised more than $40,000 combined as of Tuesday night.
The goal is to help account for medical bills, funeral costs and time lost at work starting to mount.
“If we can take those worldly obstacles away from Marissa, she can concentrate and take care of her daughter, and that's all we want,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also wanted to address several comments online discussing the incident involving the stolen car that led up to the crash.
“Everybody's placing blame—this and that, this driver, that driver,” he said. “Our stance as a family is we are not supporting any negative narratives. We are just here for our family, to support our family.”
