DENVER — Family and friends of the late Victor Hallcy Sr. released balloons and doves on Sunday in Denver in a bittersweet Father’s Day tribute. Hallcy died on Easter Sunday in a two-vehicle crash when the vehicle he was in was hit by a driver who allegedly ran a red light.
“He was a great man, lovable man,” said Ebony Walker, of Oklahoma, who came to Denver to honor her dad.
Hallcy, 60, was in a Lincoln SUV with his son, Victor Hallcy Jr., when another driver allegedly ran a red light and hit the SUV. Victor Hallcy Jr. survived the crash. His father died at the scene.
“While my brother was able to crawl out of the vehicle, our father was not so lucky,” Walker said.
In recent years, Hallcy Sr. experienced health issues, including a long hospital stay — 93 days — in which he went into a coma for 29 days. He was, however, in recovery, working with a support network of family, friends and professionals, walking and enjoying being a grandfather. He had gone back to work.
When he was released from the hospital, in December of 2019, Hallcy’s friends from a local barbershop presented him with a championship belt, because he had defeated his illness, Walker said.
Hallcy Sr. was born on Nov. 27, 1961, in Texas and moved to Denver as a child. He graduated from East High School and went to college, earning an associate degree in accounting.
“He loved to eat and he loved to laugh,” Walker recalled. “He was a very positive person.”
Over the years he worked hard as a commercial window washer and his son, Victor Jr., joined him in the business.
On Saturday, Walker and others canvassed the neighborhood around the intersection handing out leaflets about the incident, inquiring whether anyone saw the crash that had not yet talked to police investigators.
“I’m needing and pleading for the community’s help with anyone who may have saw the accident or saw anything that may be important,” Walker said.
“We got some feedback,” Walker said of distributing the leaflets.
On Sunday, Father’s Day, family and friends released doves at about noon at a family members home. At 3 p.m. they gathered at the intersection of the crash and released balloons into the sky.
“We gathered quite a few, it was pretty nice,” Walker said. “It was emotional.”
Adhanom Asgodom Ali, 60, is described by police investigators as the “at-fault driver” in the fatal crash. Ali is being investigated for careless driving resulting in death. He has an upcoming court hearing scheduled on July 8.
“Witnesses told investigators that the suspect driver ran a red light,” said Detective Brian Bienemann, who investigated the incident. “This is definitely a sad one for sure.”
As of Tuesday 39 people have died in Denver traffic crashes this year, according to police. Last year, 33 people had died in crashes over the same time frame.
“It’s been devastating, very devastating,” Walker said of her father’s death. “We as a family want justice.”
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