Photo: Daily Camera
From the Daily Camera
Craig Towler, the Boulder man who lost both of his legs after being crushed between two SUVs a year ago, is celebrating his “Alive Day” by helping with a Fourth of July run in his honor.
He said he learned about the idea of celebrating the anniversary of his close escape from death while recovering in the hospital.
“I really took that to heart,” he said. “We choose how we want to remember that day. Every year that we’re still here, that’s a good thing that needs to be celebrated.”
The company where he works, BBSC Endurance Sports in Boulder, decided to rename its annual Fourth of July 5K and 10K run as the “Craig Towler Freedom Run.” There’s also a virtual race option for those who won’t be in town for the event.
“We can move forward together,” Towler said.
He said he considers the Fourth of July the day he became a survivor.
That day, he spent the morning working BBSC’s Star Spangled Splash event at the Boulder Reservoir, timing his first race by himself.
As he was unloading his car in the 3300 block of Aurora Avenue after the event, Dylan Gottschling, who was 19 at the time, crashed his car into a parked black SUV at about 40 mph, pushing it about 12 feet into another parked SUV.
Towler was pinned between the two SUVs. He instructed his roommate and neighbor to lay him on the ground and create tourniquets out of their belts until paramedics arrived. Doctors told him the tourniquets saved his life.
Gottschling pleaded guilty to Class 5 felony vehicular assault operating or driving in a reckless manner and an added count of driving while ability impaired.
Police said Gottschling admitted to using heroin and then taking Xanax before the crash, along with admitting to looking down at his phone while trying to select music when the crash happened…
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RELATED: 2016 BBSC TRI BOULDER Race Report – Community Rallies for Craig Towler
If you go:
What: Craig Towler Freedom 5K and 10K Run
When: July 4, registration starts at 6:30 a.m., run starts at 8 a.m.
Where: Boulder Reservoir, 5565 N 51st St., Boulder
Cost: 10K is $50, 5K is $45
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