A mother in Colorado, USA grieved the tragic loss of her husband and daughter after a devastating motorcycle crash in Thornton.
Brian Cirbo, 38, and his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Brooklyn Lopeman, rode the Harley-Davidson motorcycle home during a volleyball practice in Brooklyn Tuesday, April 15, when they were hit by a BMW driven by a 17-year-old boy.
Brian died of injury the same day. Brooklyn was placed in the Colorado Children’s Hospital for Life Support and died April 22.
“Many of her teammates saw it,” Brooklyn’s mother Devin Lopeman Cirbo told CBS Colorado, Brooklyn’s mother Devin Lopeman Cirbo told Colorado. “Brooklyn didn’t breathe, they did CPR, but Brian was able to speak. He kept telling officers to call his wife and they told me they were coming.”
When Devin arrived at the hospital, her husband left.
“Her helmet was going through the whole process, but her brain swelled due to the way she hit it,” Devin explained.
Before Brooklyn’s life support was canceled, Devin said her family was working with the donor coalition to help others through organ donations. “We should have been for the rest of our lives, but now we’ve disappeared,” she said.
The teenage driver, who has not yet been released, was arrested on suspicion of careless driving, resulting in death and subsequently released. An investigation is underway.
“They are working with accident reconstruction experts to figure out what exactly is going on,” Devin said. “I know that the kid who hit them has been calling 911 on the spot. I know he has no intention of destroying my family – but he hasn’t looked. People have to look for bikes.”
Devin describes the bond between Brian and Brooklyn as indestructible. “There’s so much joy. They’re both happy,” she said. “I don’t think they can’t survive losing each other. That’s why I’ve lost each other.”
Brian is a retired firefighter whose big heart is remembered. “He likes singing; he likes dancing. He is everyone’s biggest fan,” Devin said. “Having his children is the light of his life. He embraced my children like his own.”
Brooklyn is an avid volleyball player, described as “the most amazing smile and the most amazing soul.”
The GoFundMe page was launched to support funerals and medical expenses. “This unimaginable tragedy has shaken everyone who knows and loves them,” the event reads. “Brooklyn is a smart, kind, talented young woman with a passion for volleyball and touches the hearts of everyone she meets.”
Brooklyn-played Prime Minister Volleyball Academy honored her on Instagram, writing: “She is the light of our volleyball family, known for her spirit, kindness and unwavering dedication. Her absence left a deep gap among all of us.”
