ARVADA, Colo. — Arvada Police have identified 44-year-old Kresten Wolff Thomsen as the victim in a fatal Monday crash near West 64th Avenue and North Lamar Street.
According to police, 23-year-old Juan Ortega Torres Jr. ran a red light, crashing into Wolff Thomsen and sending his car into the side of a home. Wolff Thomsen's two children were taken to the hospital, one with serious injuries.
Casper Kobke grew up with Wolff Thomsen in a small town in Denmark and said Wolff Thomsen moved to Colorado years ago to be closer to his wife’s family.
"For him to be taken out by a bloke who decides to drive under the influence, that is as selfish as you can be, possibly," Kobke said.
He said Wolff Thomsen arranged compositions for musicians worldwide, including work with the Colorado Ballet.
"A massive, massive musical talent has been taken away from us," Kobke said. "If we put this into sporting terms, he would play major league, OK? This was a guy with a talent in the world of music that very few people can comprehend."
Kobke said Wolff Thomsen was a family man, who put his wife and two children ahead of his promising career.
“We cannot fathom, in our family, how much pain these children are going through now. They are injured, horrifically, and they have lost their dad at the same time,” he said.
You can listen to music composed by Wolff Thomsen in the video below.
Wolff Thomsen posted the video, which includes dancing and choreography by Colorado Ballet Academy dancers Grace Beay and Ryan Andrews, to his YouTube channel in November.
"A dear friend's uncle is battling serious disease, though in good hopes," he wrote in the caption.
He wrote, "He and his husband have been patrons for ballet through many years. And when my friend was a little girl, he would often bring her to ballet performances to let her experience the magic of it."
"She asked me if I could send him a special greeting by filming a little dance sequence with two of my colleagues at the Colorado Ballet Academy. Here’s our piece to you David. All our best wishes and compassion for you."
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