Monaco Crash Claims Lifelong Park Hillians

Families Of Stanley Taylor and Wayne Carroll Are Devastated; Left Wondering What Happened

Stanley Taylor had a great sense of humor. He loved being around his family, he loved playing card games and dominoes, helping people, going to church and reading his bible.

He was a praying man,” said his sister, Sharon Vasquez. “He had a strong belief in the Lord.”

Wayne Carroll had an infectious laugh, and a distinct, unforgettable bounce to his step when he walked. He was the baby of his family, loved the Broncos, used to be in a bowling league. He was kindhearted and always ready to take care of an odd job for an extended family member.

Taylor, 68, and Carroll, 60, were lifelong friends who grew up in Park Hill, and whose families continue to have strong roots in the neighborhood. They died on June 12, when a truck, driven by Taylor, hit a tree, and then embedded into the trunk of a second tree, on Monaco Boulevard just north of 17th Avenue. No other vehicles were involved. The crash is still under investigation, and witnesses to the aftermath say the truck must have been traveling at an extremely high rate of speed.

The accident left the extended families of both men devastated and bewildered about what might have happened.

“Stanley did not drive fast; that was uncharacteristic of him,” said Carroll’s cousin, Pamela Burgess,

“My brother was not a fast driver,” Vasquez echoed. “We have no idea what might have happened. I am in a state of shock, as is the rest of the family.”

Taylor and Carroll grow up near 30th and Krameria Street, a few houses apart. As adults, they became entrepreneurs and often teamed up to work on jobs together, including landscaping and other projects. The day of the accident, Burgess said, she was expecting her cousin to come by to mow her lawn. They were expecting him at a family gathering later that afternoon.

“We’re just praying they didn’t suffer,” she said.

Services for both men were held in late June.

— Cara DeGette