Llyod Curtis: Grandather, 77, dies one week after wife, 72, was crushed to death by giant Denny’s sign
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: Llyod Curtis, the husband of the elderly lady who was crushed to death by a Denny's signboard, has died a week after her death. The 77-year-old grandfather, who was already suffering from a very bad heart condition, tragically died yesterday, January 23. His wife, Lillian Curtis, 72, was killed when a 2,600lb Denny's signboard fell on their car after strong winds broke it loose from its post.
According to KVUE, the old couple's granddaughter, Amy Nichols said that her grandfather underwent heart surgery at the University of Louisville Hospital three days prior to the accident and her grandmother had just collected Lloyd from hospice care on Thursday, January 19, before the tragic incident occurred. Lloyd and Lilian's daughter, Mary Graham, 58, was the third passenger in the car and happened to be driving the car. She is now being treated for her injuries including a concussion and five broken ribs, the outlet reported.
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Elizabethtown police believe that the sign toppled onto the car due to strong gusts of wind. Llyod was informed by the doctors that he had only three weeks to live because of his severe heart condition. "He told the hospice nurse last night when she asked him what he wanted, and he said, 'My wife back,' and now he is dancing with Nanny," Amy Nichols said according to Daily Mail. Nichols told WLKY that the family is still trying to find out answers. An autopsy will reveal whether Lloyd's death was a direct result of the crash or his heart condition.
The granddaughter said that her family plans to hold a double funeral for Lloyd and Lillian. A GoFundMe has raised more than $5,000 to help pay for memorial expenses. The grandchildren were left stunned after they received the unexpected tragic news related to their grandparents. They feel like they were robbed of the beautiful memories that they could have made with Lloyd and Lillian. "It's definitely not something you can truly wrap your mind around," Mary Howard, Graham's daughter, told KVUE. "I don't know that the shock has worn off - or the fact that we're going to go home and life is going to continue."
"Safety is our top priority, and we are working with the authorities to better understand what led to this situation," Denny's said in a statement last week. "Our thoughts are with all of those involved." The couple and their daughter were believed to be waiting for food on Thursday afternoon, January 19, when the sign fell on their car.
Lillian, sitting in the back seat of the car was trapped in the vehicle and was extracted by emergency workers. Nichols told WDRB News her head wound had been 'catastrophic' and 'inoperable'. "My nanny was loved by so many people and this loss has left a hole inside us all," she wrote in her tribute to Lillian in a post on the GoFundMe page. Howard told KVUE that her grandmother's death had been "absolutely instantaneous and that there was no way her body could have felt any pain". Lillian and Lloyd were married for more than 50 years and have more than a dozen great-grandchildren.
