A Colorado man is recovering in the hospital after he was hit by a vehicle that jumped a curb — moments after he shoved his fiancée out of its path.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Bill Dehner told NBC affiliate KUSA that he and his fiancée, Letitia Gaillard, were standing in front of Cornerstone Liquor & Wine near Ralston Road and Wadsworth Boulevard in Arvada on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when the crash occurred.
He explained that they were waiting for a Lyft so he could pick up his 6-year-old daughter from school when everything changed in an instant. One moment they were outside the store, he said, and the next he found himself inside it.
According to the Arvada Police Department, the driver was attempting to park when the vehicle hopped the sidewalk and barreled into the storefront, outlets including KUSA, Fox affiliate KDVR and the Arvada Press reported. The car slammed into Dehner after he pushed Gaillard out of the way, an action authorities and the couple say likely saved her life.
Dehner told KUSA there wasn’t time to think — only to react — and that his instinct was simply to move her to safety.
Gaillard told KUSA she never saw the vehicle coming. She only remembers winding up on the ground after being shoved aside.
In a GoFundMe fundraiser, Gaillard wrote that she felt pain in her knees after the impact and noticed discomfort around her NeuroPace device, which is implanted in her brain to help manage epilepsy.
Amid the confusion after the crash, the couple became separated. Gaillard recalled that, according to KUSA, she was “begging and screaming” for information about Dehner because she had no idea where he was. She, too, was transported to the hospital by ambulance, the GoFundMe page noted.
At the scene, an officer reassured Dehner that Gaillard was safe, KUSA reported. He said that once he knew she was okay, his next concern was his daughter, and he told officers she needed to be picked up from school. Police then arranged to make sure she was cared for.
Dehner suffered broken legs in the crash and has already undergone multiple surgeries. He fears he may be unable to work for six months to a year while he recovers.
Despite the long road ahead, Dehner told KUSA he doesn’t regret what he did. He said he always puts his loved ones first and would make the same choice again because of how much he cares for Gaillard and his daughter.
Authorities said drugs and alcohol are not believed to have played a role in the incident, according to the reports, and the investigation remains ongoing. The driver has been cited on two counts of careless driving resulting in injury, KUSA reported.
Gaillard is now asking for help through GoFundMe to support Dehner’s recovery and their changing needs.
She wrote that donations could help them secure a home in Arvada without stairs and with enough space for a wheelchair, as well as a vehicle that can accommodate him while he uses a wheelchair and attends months of physical therapy in Arvada.
