Kentucky grandmother dies when Denny’s sign falls while traveling with her dying husband

The 72-year-old Kentucky grandmother who was killed by a falling Denny’s sign had just picked up her dying husband from the hospital when tragedy struck.

Lillian Mae Curtis, her husband Lloyd Eugene Curtis Sr., 77, and their daughter Mary Graham, 58, were believed to be stopping for lunch Thursday afternoon when the 2,600-pound sign fell on their car in the middle of Gusts to 50 mph in Elizabethtown.

The family had just picked up Lloyd from UofL Hospital, where he had been recovering from heart surgery. The grandfather was in a hospice and the doctors gave him only three months to live, KVUE reports.

Lillian and Lloyd’s grandchildren said they were shocked by the tragedy that robbed their grandparents of what little time they had left together.

“It’s definitely not something you can really think about,” Mary Howard, Graham’s daughter, told the outlet. “I don’t know if the shock has worn off, or the fact that we’re going home and life is going to go on without her.”

The sign fell amid strong winds in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, on Thursday, and emergency services rushed to the scene to remove the victims.

Lillian, 72, had just collected Lloyd from the hospital after heart surgery. The 77-year-old man was in a hospice and was only given three months to live.

liliana, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, he was immediately crushed by the falling sign. The grandmother was trapped in the vehicle and emergency workers had to remove her from the vehicle.

Her granddaughter, Amy Nichols, told WDRB News her head injury had been “catastrophic” and “inoperable.”

Howard told KVUE that his grandmother’s death had been “absolutely instantaneous and there was no way for her body to feel pain.”

lloyd he had been rushed to hospital with fluid in his lungs and was awaiting transfer back to the Jewish Hospital.

Graham, who was driving, suffered five broken ribs and a concussion, but has since been released from the hospital.

The family has now rushed to lloyd’s as they fear that he and Graham are traumatized by Lillian’s death. She and Lloyd have been married for more than 50 years and have more than a dozen great-grandchildren.

The relatives were consoled because Lilian’s death was instantaneous.

Loved ones fear that Lilian’s husband and daughter will be traumatized by witnessing her death.

The gruesome footage shows the car destroyed after the freak accident, which Elizabethtown police are investigating.

Elizabethtown police spokesman Chris Denham said he was shaken by the accident.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Denham said.

“It’s certainly very windy here and I’m sure he had a factor and was involved in this.”

Crews who removed the sign from the scene said it weighed about 2,600 pounds, about the weight of a small car.

Wind gusts of up to 50 mph were in the vicinity at the time of the accident.

Dramatic video captured the moment the wind toppled the 2,600-pound sign. He fell and crushed the car Mrs. Curtis was sitting in

The family is believed to have stopped for a meal when the tragedy struck.

Ms Curtis’s granddaughter, Amy Nichols, paid tribute online, saying she didn’t know how her family would manage without her.

“This woman right here, my beautiful nanny Lillian Mae Curtis, she was the matriarch of our family, she was the strongest woman I have ever seen.

‘I don’t know how I or my family can begin to live in a cold world without her in it.

“She was my biggest support in life and always had me when no one else did. I’m so lost right now I can’t even function,” said Amy Nichols.

‘She was my nanny, she was my second mom, she was everything to me. She would give my life to get her back.

‘I love you so much babysitter. I just want to hold you again and smell your cologne and tell you that I love you. How do I say goodbye to you? I wish it was me in that back seat, not you. I just want you back.

she has thrown a GoFundMe to raise money for her grandmother’s funeral.

Denny’s said it was aware of the incident and was working with authorities to understand what caused the accident.

“Safety is our top priority and we are working with authorities to better understand what led to this situation. Our thoughts are with everyone involved.’