Man Killed In Deadly Hit & Run Was New Dad 'He's Going To Live Through Her'
DENVER (CBS4)- The man who was killed in a fiery hit-and-run crash that involved five vehicles was a new father. The suspect blamed for the crash has a history of run-ins with police and he may have been drinking that night.
Sebastian Evridge was on his way to work Monday morning when the Jeep he was driving was struck from behind. The impact caused the gas tank to rupture and the vehicle was quickly engulfed in flames.
"We had to let him go, there was nothing that the doctors could do," said Evridge's sister Alexa Matson.
Matson fought back tears as she talked about saying goodbye to her little brother. Matson said Evridge, 21, was a hardworking, caring person and had just recently become a father.
"He's going to live through her and we're going to make sure she knows," said Matson.
The driver who struck her brother, Ricardo Gardea, was spotted by police just moments before the crash by police speeding more than 100 mph.
Police said when Gardea came to the intersection of 44th and Federal, he ran a red light, struck two vehicles before striking Evridge's Jeep, and then hit two more before trying to run away from officers.
"There's a lot of hurt and anger in our hearts right now for this man," said Matson.
According to arrest records, Gardea admitted to detectives that he had been drinking and smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel of his white Dodge Durango.
"Someday I will find forgiveness for this man but not today," said Matson.
Gardea has a lengthy criminal past stemming back to 2007 that includes theft, assault and a number of cases in which he tried eluding police. He's now facing a number of new charges including vehicular homicide.