LONGMONT, Colo. — A Colorado man who lost his brother to a suspected DUI driver is urging those celebrating this holiday weekend to drive sober.
New Year’s Eve is a big night of celebration, but it’s important to celebrate safely. Authorities are warning drivers to not enter the new year with a drunk driving ticket or worse.
Alcohol impairment causes 62% of all New Year’s Eve crash deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s more than double the rate for the rest of the year.
Denver7 spoke with a man who knows the impact of drunk driving all too well and is urging drivers to be safe.
Nicholas Forsyth is mourning the loss of his older brother, 30-year-old Tahner Forsyth, who died after a suspected DUI crash in Longmont on Dec. 18.
“We've just always been together,” Forsyth said. “We’ve been doing everything together our whole life.”
The two brothers lost both of their parents at a young age, left with only each other and their inseparable bond.
“Tahner was always larger than life. He always knew how to have fun. He was always the bright light of the room, always the funniest person in the room,” he said. “I don't understand how many times this needs to happen to how many different families across the world for people to understand that. People are affected by this.”
The three-vehicle crash happened near Pikes Road and Corporate Center Circle in Longmont.
Nicholas Forsyth said his brother was driving back to work after taking a break. He was heading to the Balfour Senior Living facility where he worked as an executive chef when he was hit by the suspected DUI driver.
Forsyth said the last time he talked to his brother was the day before the crash.
“The last thing we were able to say to each other was that we missed each other and that we love each other,” he said.
Forsyth said he and his brother had lived together for years, but Tahner had recently moved to care for their grandmother.
The next time he would see his brother would be at the hospital, reading him a letter before he passed.
“I was able to say goodbye. But I was never able to talk to him again,” Forsyth said.
Something that is bringing Forsyth comfort during this difficult time is that his brother’s organs saved the lives of three others on Christmas day.
“That’s something that Tahner would have, he would have loved,” he said.
Forsyth is urging for more safety on the roads so that others don’t have to suffer this unimaginable pain.
“Too many families have been affected by this. Too many lives had been uprooted. I've lost everything myself from one decision that somebody made,” he said.
A GoFundMe has been launched to help Forsyth during this time.
The 22-year-old woman accused of causing the crash was driving with a 2-year-old child in the vehicle at the time. She faces several charges including child abuse and vehicular assault.