Flowers, yarn and handwritten messages mark the downtown Fort Collins site where a pedestrian was killed Saturday
By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — By Monday morning, the emergency vehicles and police tape were gone from outside Walrus Ice Cream. In their place were flowers, colorful strands of yarn and handwritten messages wrapped around the tree at the center of Saturday’s fatal crash.
The growing memorial along West Mountain Avenue marks the place where a Chevrolet pickup drove onto the sidewalk August 29, striking multiple pedestrians before colliding with the tree.
One pedestrian died and six people, including the pickup’s driver, were transported to area hospitals following the crash, according to Fort Collins Police Services.
Two days later, the damaged tree had become a gathering point for expressions of grief and support.
Messages of Love and Hope
Flowers surrounded the base of the tree Monday morning, while blue, purple, yellow and other strands of yarn had been wrapped around its trunk. Notes and cards were tucked beneath the yarn.
One handwritten message read:
“For the community we all share and for the life that was lost. With love and hope.”
Bouquets and individual flowers rested around the tree as Walrus Ice Cream stood just feet away.
The quiet Monday morning scene contrasted sharply with what witnesses described Saturday, when a morning of bicycles, costumes and celebration was interrupted by the sounds of a violent crash.
Editor’s Note: Out of respect for the victims, their families and those who witnessed the tragedy, North Forty News chose not to publish photographs of the crash scene. The photographs accompanying this story were taken Monday morning and document the community memorial that has since formed at the site.
Crash Happened During Tour de Fat
Fort Collins Police said the crash happened at approximately 11:44 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of West Mountain Avenue.
Investigators said the Chevrolet pickup first reversed from a parking space and struck another vehicle. The truck then traveled forward onto the sidewalk, struck pedestrians and collided with the tree outside Walrus Ice Cream.
The crash happened as Tour de Fat brought thousands of bicyclists and spectators into Fort Collins. Officers working the nearby special event were able to respond quickly along with patrol officers.
New Belgium Brewing, which hosts Tour de Fat, said following the crash that it was “deeply saddened” and that its thoughts were with the victims and everyone affected.
Witnesses Recount Close Calls
Several people who were downtown Saturday have since publicly described how narrowly they avoided the crash.
Anne Cleary wrote on Facebook that she and friends had just finished riding in Tour de Fat and were traveling east on Mountain Avenue. Cleary said the group crossed away from the Walrus side of the street toward Gilded Goat an estimated 30 to 60 seconds before the collision.
“We just missed it,” Cleary wrote.
The group was locking up bicycles when the crash happened.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget that sound as long I live,” Cleary wrote, describing hearing screeching, bicycles being struck and then screams.
Another community member, Lindsey S., wrote on Nextdoor that her two young daughters had been sitting outside Walrus Ice Cream but decided to move inside because of the heat.
“It was a close call for my family,” she wrote.
Rob Klein described another decision that kept his family away from Walrus. Klein wrote publicly on Facebook that after Tour de Fat, his son twice asked to stop at the ice cream shop because he had a birthday gift card.
Klein decided against stopping because he expected the business would be crowded. The family began seeing and hearing emergency vehicles while leaving downtown.
“I thank the stars we didn’t go,” Klein wrote. He said he did not tell his son what had happened and instead gave him another hug.
The social media accounts are personal recollections and have not been independently verified by North Forty News.
Community Responds to Tragedy
Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda acknowledged Saturday that the impact would extend far beyond those physically injured in the crash.
“This was a tragic day for many in our community,” Swoboda said. “We recognize the impact that this incident will have on those involved, the witnesses, and the responders.”
FCPS victim advocates have been supporting people affected by the incident.
By Monday, the memorial outside Walrus offered another measure of that impact.
The yarn wrapped around the damaged tree, flowers resting at its base and messages left by people passing through downtown transformed the location from a crash scene into a place of remembrance.
Investigation Remains Ongoing
The Fort Collins Police Services Collision Reconstruction and Scene Handling Team is investigating the crash.
Police have said investigators are examining the circumstances that caused the pickup to enter the sidewalk, including whether impairment was a factor. Authorities have said they do not believe the pedestrians were intentionally targeted.
Anyone with information who has not already spoken with investigators is asked to contact Officer David Kaes or Officer Kevin Alexander at 970-416-6540.
Sources: Fort Collins Police Services; New Belgium Brewing; public Facebook and Nextdoor posts; North Forty News reporting
North Forty News follows the people, neighborhoods and communities affected by major events across Northern Colorado — including what happens in the days that follow.
Start Your North Forty News Trial