Annette Ca on Facebook: That car wreck on Colorado Boulevard and Mexico where the Limo Driver killed 2 guys… one of them was a Denver Musician… really sad. Has a little daughter, etc. Just performed right before Christmas, etc. Here is a link:
Man Killed in Deadly Four Car Crash on Colorado Boulevard Was a Musician, Father
Jonathan Nichols, a/k/a Kokayi Danladi, remembered
Denver – A musician and father killed in a four-car wreck at Colorado Boulevard and Mexico on Sunday. Jonathan Nichols, 29, who also went by the stage name and nickname Kokayi Danladi, died alongside his friend, 42-year-old Anthony Mills.
“He was an inspiration to all the friends he talked to and made music with,” said Jamie Jay, a friend of the victim.
Danladi was a founding member of an organization called Creative Strategies for Change. Their offices were closed on Monday as colleagues mourned his loss.
A statement from the organization said, “Kokayi was an exceptional man, an extremely talented artist, and a gifted educator. He was our rock, a solid, stand up colleague, and friend, and a devoted family man.”
Kokayi is survived by a daughter.
Family members said the two victims had just left Denver on their way to Boulder. Police believe the driver, Semere Dawit, may have been driving under the influence. Dawit owned and operated a limo service. Denver7 has learned he had a history of driving violations.
In a Monday afternoon press conference, traffic investigators said the driver was doing at least twice the speed limit when the crash happened. They also found no evidence that the driver attempted to brake.
“It’s just horrible that someone’s negligence and carelessness could take away a person who was so caring,” said Jay.
Five others were injured in the crash. As of Monday, four of them have been released from the hospital.
The driver was also seriously injured and placed in custody at the hospital. Police are working to prepare a report for the district attorney to determine possible charges.
Mills was the founder of the website All Real Radio.
Copyright 2015 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
By Liz Gelardi
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Man Accused of Causing Deadly Crash on S. Colorado Blvd. Sunday is a Limo Driver
The man accused of causing the South Colorado Boulevard crash that killed two people and critically injured five others on Sunday is a limousine driver with a history of traffic violations.
Denver7 Reporter Jaclyn Allen confirmed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission that 55-year-old Semere Dawit passed a criminal background check required for limo drivers in the state.
The black Chevrolet Suburban that Dawit was driving during the four-vehicle crash has a permit number issued to Planet Limo LLC, and he registered the limited liability company to an East Florida Avenue apartment building where he lives.
By Anica Padilla, Jaclyn Allen, Alan Gathright
Read the rest here:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/police-identify-driver-accused-of-causing-deadly-crash-on-s-colorado-blvd-sunday
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MUSICIAN IS CRUSHED TO DEATH BY FALLING ELEVATOR IN NEW YORK CITY
NEW YORK (AP) — A falling elevator trapped and crushed a man to death on New Year’s Eve, and witnesses said he helped a woman to safety before losing his own life.
The man, identified as Stephen Hewett-Brown, 25, was riding the lower Manhattan elevator around midnight when it malfunctioned. He was able to push a woman out of the lift and onto one of the building’s floors before getting pinned between the elevator car and the shaft as he tried to escape himself, witnesses said.
They said he wished onlookers a happy new year before he died from his injuries. Witness Manuel Coronado said he tried to help Hewett-Brown but couldn’t lift him out.
“He was saying, ‘I can’t breathe.’ I tried to pull him up, but he said, ‘Leave me here, leave me here,'” Coronado told the Daily News of New York.
The New York Police Department said the victim was unconscious, suffering from severe body trauma, when officers arrived shortly after midnight. A police spokesman said he had no information on the exact circumstances of Hewett-Brown’s death, but the department says no criminality is suspected.
The city Buildings Department was investigating the accident. It came after a string of complaints and violation notices over the years about the Broome Street high-rise’s three elevators, Buildings Department records show. They indicate it was inspected as recently as September and that a violation notice concerning the up-and-down lights was unresolved as of Thursday.
“The elevators were a problem and needed to be fixed,” former Tenants Association President Dashia Imperiale told WABC-TV, saying the lifts sometimes lurch up and down. But another resident, Zin Halcomb, told the station he felt the building was well-maintained.
Messages left for the property manager weren’t immediately returned Friday.
Meanwhile, a friend of the victim’s, Ejiro Omenih, was absorbing the news of his death and the accounts of his life-saving actions.
“I feel that that alone shows his character,” Omenih told WABC-TV.
He said Hewlett-Brown was an aspiring musician who played piano and performed hip-hop and soul.
Brown’s mother told the Daily News the family declined to comment.
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Associated Press | Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com
http://news.yahoo.com/man-crushed-death-falling-elevator-york-city-160220592.html#
[…] By Barb Dye […]