LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) — Outside the doors to the Children’s Workshop in Loveland, a small bouquet of flowers rests against the wall.
Above it, a sign reads “Ms. Megan, forever in our hearts. We miss you dearly.”
Ms. Megan, as she’s known here, was a vital part of the preschool where many remain in disbelief.
“It’s heartbreaking for everybody,” said Jacqueline Hampton. “Everybody knew Megan.”
Thirty-two-year-old Megan Arneson was driving home from Water World with her 10-year-old son Monday, when state troopers said a big rig carrying an excavator crashed into the bridge at the Mead exit, sending concrete raining down.
Arneson was killed at the scene and her 10-year-old son survived.
“It’s definitely difficult to comprehend,” said Natasha Cavallaro. “For something to happen like that on I-25 is just crazy, and you’d never think it would be your friend that would get hit.”
A fundraiser for Arneson’s funeral costs has been set up with leftover money going towards her 10-year-old son’s future.
“We just want to make sure he’s prepared and has support and a foundation,” said Hampton.
Hampton is the director at Children’s Workshop where Arneson worked as assistant director as well as in the role of a teacher.
“She was very influential in the kids’ lives,” Hampton said. “She just always welcomed everybody with open arms and an open heart, and I’m just really going to miss her.”