DENVER — Community advocates are calling on the city to expand a safety study on Speer Boulevard after a moped driver was killed in a hit-and-run near Speer and Grove Street last month.
Friends identified Nick Cordova, a Blue Pan pizza employee, as the victim. His boss, Giles Flanagin, said Cordova was riding home from work when he was killed.
"I only knew him for maybe seven months, but I could have known him for maybe five minutes and he was a friend for life for me," Cordova's coworker Roslyn Cordalis said. "He was so gentle and he could bring out the best in you."
The crash happened just after midnight Nov. 18 in the area of Speer Boulevard and Grove Street, about a half mile from the restaurant.
Police said the other driver, someone in a white SUV, took off. Police said on Nov. 27 that they believe the vehicle is a white 2002-09 Chevy Trailblazer. It has front end damage and is missing the front bumper, police said.
The SUV driver was last seen heading southbound through the North Grove/Hooker Street Alley toward West 29th Avenue.
On Thursday, community advocates and Cordova's friends gathered at the intersection where he was killed to honor him.
Brant Hansil worked with Cordova for a number of years. He said Cordova made a big impact on him.
"There won’t be another person like Nick. You know, I’ve never met someone so thoughtful, so compassionate, so much empathy for those around them -- either that be coworkers or just strangers on the street," Hansil said. "He just had something about him that people can connect with."
So far in 2023, there have been 76 traffic deaths in Denver, according to Vision Zero. In 2022, there were 82.
For community advocate Alejandra Castañeda, one is too many.
"As members of our community we are heartbroken that our members keep dying preventable deaths on Denver streets," Castañeda said to the group. "Today we’re also honoring Nick’s life by acting on our collective grief."
Castañeda encouraged all in attendance to reach out to city leaders to expand a road study being done on Speer Boulevard up to Federal Boulevard.
"In February of this year, our Denver Department of Transportation was awarded a federal grant for safety improvements. One of the study corridors that DOTI chose is Speer Boulevard between Federal and Elitch Circle, just a block from here," she said. "Today we’re asking the mayor, our city council representatives, and DOTI decision makers to expand the study to include this section of Speer Boulevard where Nick was killed."
Cordova's friends hope city leaders listen as they mourn the loss of someone they said will be irreplaceable.
"It’s heartbreaking and devastating to lose a friend and have no closure. I just don’t want anyone to have to go through this," Cordalis said. "Fix the roads. This is preventable. We shouldn’t have to be doing this."
9NEWS reached out to DOTI, and the department responded with this statement:
"The study referenced is tied to federal funding and a specific stretch of roadway. That said, we are going to look at what, if any, safety improvements could be made in the area of the crash site to try to prevent this type of incident from happening again."
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