California hockey mom is last injured patient discharged from hospital after deadly I-70 crash in Colorado

The fresh air felt good to Brenda Greenwald. After twelve days at Denver Health, she was discharged from the hospital Tuesday. She waited at the curb as her husband pulled their rental car up and enjoyed the outdoors.

She is the last of those injured from the deadly Jan. 29 crash with a snow plow and a van carrying members of a girls' hockey team from California and family members. The van carrying 10 people was en route to a tournament in Littleton when they were hit on Interstate 70 a couple miles east of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel.

There's still a lot of pain in Brenda Greenwald's shoulder, but it's only one of her long list of breaks and internal injuries.

"I have my good days and my bad days," Brenda said, her husband, Jason, at her side in her hospital room before she left.

"There's a lot of heroes on this story that aren't here to talk. That's important too," Jason noted.

The most important, the family believes, was fellow a hockey parent from the Santa Clarita Lady Flyers, Manny Lorenzana.

"He was just an amazing person, an amazing person. Always smiling, laughing, joking," Brenda said. "I'm going to say that he's the reason that we all survived too."  

Lorenzana was driving the van when the plow driver lost control, and it came across the highway, striking the van and two other vehicles, knocking the van over the edge and down a long hill. Lorenzana was killed by the impact.

"He literally took the brunt of everything, and I believe he is the reason that the rest of us are around. So I owe him everything," Brenda added.

Brenda, who helps coach another Flyers team, went with three of the couple's children to the Western Girls Hockey League Tournament at Edge Ice Arena, while her husband stayed behind to work in California. They drove out from Santa Clarita in a rented van. They were all looking forward to the tournament. Brenda was in back playing cards with some of the girls, while her three children -- 13-year-old daughter Emily, who is on the team, and sons, 11-year-old Joshua and 9-year-old Matt -- sat behind her watching a movie.

"All I remember is I just saw it coming, and it hit, and, when it hit, it hit hard," Brenda explained. "I remember we were going downhill, and it seemed like it was the longest ride down a hill because I think it rolled maybe once."

When the vehicle came to a rest, the kids in back with her were calling out for her. Many knew her as coach Brenda.

"I didn't know what to do to get to them. I didn't look at anybody else. I just went immediately for the kids," she recalled. 

Then, her memory gets hazy. "I don't know how I mustered the energy to get out of that van at all," she said. "I don't know how I got out. I remember, once I got out, I sat down. I wedged one of my shoes in the snow to kind of hold myself up." Then she waited for help.

Joshua was the most seriously injured child and was airlifted to Children's Hospital Colorado. Emily and Matt went to Denver Health along with Brenda.

With so many victims, it was unclear who was where. That was frightening.

"They came and told me, 'Yeah, we got your kids here,' and I'm like, 'Oh, great,'" Brenda explained. "'Yeah, two of them are in the waiting room with somebody else after they got cleaned up.' And I said, 'There is a third one.' So, then, they had to find out where he was."

At about the same time in California, Jason got the opposite side of the story when Children's Hospital called him.

"I was told it was bad. No one told how bad other than it was a horrible accident, and (Joshua) had to be airlifted," Jason recalled. "And they had to be all together, and they didn't know where the other children were, and my wife wasn't calling."

Joshua was discharged from Children's last week. All three are home in California waiting for their mother.

There have been a lot of things that have helped the Greenwalds. One of the biggest was the boost they got when the Lady Flyers won the tournament. Emily was too injured to play, but sat on the bench with the team during the final game and, at the end, was part of the celebration.

"I cried. I cried. I'm so proud of them. Those girls, they're amazing," Brenda said. "(Emily) was so excited. I've seen videos of her afterwards."

Ahead now are more discussions with their children about what happened. Emily, being a little older, realizes a little more the parents think.

Brenda told Jason to get the kids back on the ice as soon as they were ready. They made it back out onto their home rink in Santa Clarita within days of arriving home. But there's still a lot to talk about.

There's also a lot to be thankful for. The family has been overwhelmed with the support they've received.

"Takes a tragedy to realize that you have the support. But it's always there for sure," Jason said.

"I didn't know how many people like reached out and stuff, but I wouldn't even thought so many would have," Brenda said. "The Lady Flyers, they're great. It does kind of remind you how amazing kids can be."