LITTLETON, Colo. – Two years ago Friday, Liam Stewart, a 7th grader was riding his bike to Euclid Middle School in Littleton and was only minutes away when he was struck and killed by a driver.
It happened at an intersection Josh Stewart, Liam’s dad, had been concerned about well before his son, just 13, lost his life.
“At the core of it, he was a kid on his way to school. He could have just as easily been walking through that intersection. And I think for me, getting every kid to school safely is important,” Josh told Denver7 earlier this week.
He sat down at a bench outside of Bemis Library – dedicated a year ago when the community gathered to mark one year since Liam’s death – and talked about the positive changes he has seen in Littleton as the city works to address vulnerable road user safety.
"It's a really hard week for us. Liam's birthday was one week before he was killed, so it was last Friday. The anniversary of his death is this Friday. So it's for our family. We just, we like to stay together, be together. And Liam has two little brothers who are now 12 and 9, and that time with them is just so special and so important," said Josh.
He talked about how the family is honoring Liam this year.
"We had a birthday party for Liam's friends. So we just had a huge group of kids at our house, and that was amazing. It was amazing to kind of be reminded about the energy that he brought and see those kids, and it's hard but also comforting to see how much he would have grown in that time," said Josh.
"That's how we spent his birthday this year. And we're spending this anniversary as a family this year, because we feel like that's right. I've taken time and really dedicated, and we've advocated, and, you know, we're doing other things... A local group, Littleton Social Cycle, put up a ghost bike in his honor."
In the video player below, Josh opens up about his family’s difficult journey over the last two years and how he views his work as an advocate for change.
Denver7's On Two Wheels also interviewed members of the City of Littleton's Safer Streets team to learn more about recently-completed and future infrastructure projects in the works. Look for that story soon on Denver7.com.
