LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Family members are focusing on the good after their loved one was killed by a driver suspected of being under the influence.
It happened on June 5 near West Colfax and Garrison Street in Lakewood. Police said Ilya Slavin was going twice the speed limit when he ran a red light and crashed into 65-year-old Beth Bargas' car.
"She loved hanging out with her great grandbabies [it was] the highlight of her life," Bargas' son Marvin Latham said. "She was always giving. She loved her job and she loved what she did."
Bargas was a nurse at Harmony Pointe Nursing Center in Lakewood. She was on her way to work the morning of the crash. Her colleague, Ada Hernandez, was with her.
"It's been an emotional month," Hernandez said. "Very grateful [to be alive]. I don’t think God was finished with me."
Hernandez called Bargas a second mother to her. They had spent holidays together and Bargas often gave her advice. Hernandez suffered multiple injuries from the crash, but nothing pains her more than her broken heart. She lost more than her dear friend that day.
"I lost my dog," she said as she began to cry. "They're taking care of each other."
On Friday, Bargas' family found friends in the co-workers who spent the last 10 years working with her at Harmony Pointe.
"She’s touched thousands of lives over the course of her tenure as a nurse I’m sure some I don’t even know," Latham said with a laugh.
It was a celebration under the sun for a woman who took care of so many people including Sherri Pettit. She knows people like Bargas don't come around often.
"[I'm] grateful for the time we had with her. Absolutely the best nurse in Harmony Pointes," Pettit explained. "She’s probably up in heaven being of service to other people up here. Being his first hand nurse in all eternity."
Bargas' work was never just a job; to her bosses she never was just an employee. On Friday, the nursing center unveiled a fountain dedicated to Bargas. A gesture to show just how loved Bargas was and will always be.
"She was very caring and giving she loved people around here and she loved the people that were in her life," her son Latham said. "We’re trying to push forward and do right by my mom in every aspect."
A GoFundMe was created to help with expenses following Bargas' death.
According to the arrest affidavit, police suspect the driver, Slavin, was under the influence of cocaine. Court documents state he had a lengthy driving history including 33 suspensions and 38 convictions.
Thirteen of the 38 convictions were for speeding. Slavin's due back in court August 28.