<\/p>\n
Allen Duke was probably listening to music through headphones while walking Saturday to the Adobe Inn, where he worked on north Main Avenue in Durango. He probably stopped to chat with Marco Ricchi, an Italian tourist whom he checked into the motel a day earlier.<\/p>\n
He probably never saw the white Chevrolet Suburban that jumped a curb and killed him and Ricchi, according to Duke\u2019s family, which spent Sunday and Monday visiting the crash scene, talking to police, meeting with college officials and viewing Duke\u2019s body at Hood Mortuary.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was such a great kid and a great person,\u201d said his father, Brian Duke, of Colorado Springs. \u201cHe loved this community and this area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen Duke, who didn\u2019t have a car, walked to school or work nearly every day, usually while listening to tunes through headphones, they said. He wasn\u2019t the type of person to ignore someone he knew, even if it was in passing, they said. He was deeply curious about people from around the world \u2013 a result of visiting Taiwan and Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just loved the idea of seeing the world,\u201d his father said.<\/p>\n
Allen Duke, 23, and Ricchi, 46, died Saturday after being struck by an SUV driven by Bobby Lehmann, 76, who lives in Durango and Texas. Duke\u2019s family was told Lehmann may have blacked out while driving.<\/p>\n
The Durango Police Department declined to release details of the crash or a possible cause, saying it remains under investigation.<\/p>\n
No citations had been issued as of Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Durango police plan to have the SUV\u2019s computer forensically analyzed to obtain more information about the vehicle\u2019s speed, braking and other diagnostics.<\/p>\n
The SUV was heading north about 4 p.m. Saturday when it jumped the right curb, struck the pedestrians and came to rest on its wheels, wedged between a sign for the Royal Motel and the motel itself at 2068 Main Ave.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know exactly what happened, we just don\u2019t know what to make of it,\u201d said Duke\u2019s twin brother, Evan Duke. \u201cThere\u2019s no one to blame here; that\u2019s the hardest thing; there\u2019s no one to blame.\u201d<\/p>\n
His father said if Lehmann suffered a medical emergency, he doesn\u2019t hold any ill will toward him, \u201cbut he robbed us of a great son and the world of a terrific young man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen Duke celebrated his 23 birthday two days earlier \u2013 on Thursday \u2013 and was five weeks from graduating with a degree in accounting from Fort Lewis College.<\/p>\n
The college said it\u2019s looking into the possibility of awarding him a posthumous degree, which Allen Duke\u2019s twin would like to accept during the college\u2019s April 29 graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n
Allen Duke came to Durango to attend FLC from Parker, where his family lived at the time. He switched his major from international business to accounting and wanted to move to Canada upon graduation to become a bank examiner.<\/p>\n
He loved drinking sour beers at El Moro, and hated spiders, Brian Duke said.<\/p>\n
His father used to bringing him a bag of Trolli Sour Brite Eggs, his favorite candy, every time he came to visit, because Allen couldn\u2019t find them in Durango. He left a bag Sunday at a makeshift memorial on north Main Avenue.<\/p>\n
Allen Duke also is survived by his mother, Emi Duke, and older sister, Bri Duke. No services have been scheduled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAllen was such a big part of this college community \u2013 loved it here,\u201d his father said. \u201cHe had his whole life in front of him. That\u2019s what\u2019s so sad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricchi was visiting from Latina, Italy. He and a friend appeared to be on a tour of the Southwest, with stops at the Grand Canyon, Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley, according to Facebook posts. He and a friend were training to run a marathon.<\/p>\n
In his last post, Ricchi uploaded photos of Durango, which show he had taken the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.<\/p>\n
The Adobe Inn confirmed Allen Duke would have checked Ricchi into the motel on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure the guy (Ricchi) shared that he was from Italy and here training for a marathon, and Allen saw him come jogging by, and it was just natural to stop and chat,\u201d said Brian Duke. \u201cHe never would have gone past someone he knew without saying \u2018hi\u2019 and chatting.\u201d<\/p>\n