Colorado woman remembers husband, daughter after deadly motorcycle crash in Thornton

CBS News

22-04-2025

A deadly motorcycle crash in Thornton changed one Colorado woman's life forever. Devin Lopeman Cirbo lost her husband in the crash and struggles with knowing she will take her daughter off life support in the coming days.
"There was so much joy. They were both complete joy," is how Devin described her husband and daughter.
"I think that they couldn't have survived losing each other. That's why I lost them both," she said.
Brian Cirbo was a retired firefighter and devoted father and stepfather to several children.
"He loved to sing; he loved to dance. He was everybody's biggest fan. Having his kids was the light of his life. He embraced my kids like his own," said Devin.
Devin's daughter and Brian's stepdaughter, Brooklyn, was a 12-year-old volleyball player who could make just about anyone laugh.
"She just has the most amazing smile. She has the most amazing soul," said Devin. "We were supposed to have a whole life still, and now it's gone."
In a split second, the crash changed Devin's entire world when both Brian and Brooklyn became victims late Tuesday night while on their way home from Brooklyn's volleyball practice.
"A lot of her teammates saw it," said Devin.
Devin said both were riding on Brian's motorcycle when a 17-year-old driving a BMW crashed into them.
"Brooklyn wasn't breathing and they did CPR, but Brian was able to talk and he kept telling the officers to call his wife, and they told me to come," said Devin.
By the time Devin reached the hospital, Brian had passed away. Brooklyn's been on life support at Children's Hospital ever since.
"Her helmet was on the entire time, but because of how she was hit, there was catastrophic swelling in her brain," said Devin.
Last week, Thornton police arrested the teenager believed to be driving during the crash. He was arrested on suspicion of careless driving resulting in death, though he has since been released pending an ongoing investigation.
"They're working with the accident reconstruction people to figure out what exactly happened," said Devin. "I know that the kid who hit them was there on site. He stayed. He called 911."
As she grapples with the immediate loss of her husband, Devin is also being forced to prepare to lose her daughter.
"We're working with Donor Alliance, and they're working to find people that she can help, and we will be taking her off of life support in the next 24 hours," said Devin.
Brian's law enforcement and motorcycle friends, as well as Brooklyn's teammates, have stepped up to help Devin crowdfund and support her family during this difficult new reality.
"We've lost friends riding. It happens all the time. It was never supposed to be us," she said.
As Thornton police continue to investigate this crash, Devin hopes it is a wake-up call for everyone to be more aware of other types of vehicles on the road.
"I know that this kid didn't set out to destroy my family, but he didn't see them, and the only way he didn't see them is because he didn't look. People have to look for bikes," she said.