On Thursday, January 19, a woman from Kentucky died when a 2,600lb Denny’s restaurant billboard toppled and smashed her vehicle. Prior to the fatal collision taking place, Lillian Mae Curtis, 72, was on her way back home after picking up her beloved husband. Her husband Lloyd Curtis was at the Jewish Hospital in Kentucky where he had undergone major cardiac surgery.
Mrs. Curtis was seated in the rear passenger seat of a car. She was accompanied by her daughter Mary Graham there. Mr. Curtis and Ms. Graham have also been hurt. The family is thought to just have halted at the fast-food chain establishment on their return trip to their home. During the halt, Denny’s signage was knocked down by high gusts that reached up to 50 miles per hour.
The family’s blue automobile was destroyed entirely by Denny’s signage. The Denny’s signage caused significant damage to the rear end of the vehicle. Moreover, the signage sitting on the hood was an addition to the damage. Mrs. Curtis is said to have gotten stuck in the rear passenger seat of the family’s vehicle after it was destroyed. Due to the collision, she needed to be extracted by emergency personnel. Amy Nichols, Lillian Mae Curtis’s granddaughter, said her grandma suffered “catastrophic” head damage in the unexpected accident.
In a Catastrophic Accident At Denny’s, Grandmother Passed Away
Ms. Nichols said, “This woman right here my beautiful nanny Lillian Mae Curtis was the matriarch of our family she was the strongest woman I have ever seen in my life.”
“I don’t know how myself or my family can even begin to live in a cold world without her in it. She was my biggest supporter in life and always had me when nobody else did. I am so lost right now I can’t even function.”
“She was my Nanny she was my second momma she was everything to me. I would give my life to have her back, I love you so much nanny, I just want to hug you again and smell your cologne and tell you I love you. How do I say goodbye to you? I wish it would of been me in that backseat not you. I just want you back..”
Chris Denham, police from Elizabethtown said: “I am able to say with certainty the wind was a factor. Very, very sad situation.”
Denham also informed that around 1:30 PM on Thursday the fire department and the Hardin County EMS were also summoned after a rescue call. Thus, The injured were taken to separate Health Care Facilities. Baptist Health Hardin Hospital took Mr. Curtis and Ms. Graham. Whereas Mrs. Curtis was transferred to the University of Louisville Hospital, whereupon she passed away as a result of her injuries.
A representative for Denny’s added. “Safety is our top priority, and we are working with the authorities to better understand what led to this situation. Our thoughts are with all of those involved.”
Moreover, an inquiry is already ongoing to determine precisely what triggered the billboard signage to collapse.
