Heartbroken man dies days after wife was crushed to death by 2600lb Denny’s sign

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The husband of a 72-year-old grandmother who was fatally crushed by a 2,600 lbs (1180kg) falling Denny’s sign has also died from injuries sustained in the freak accident.

Lloyd Curtis, 77, died in hospital on 23 January, four days after his wife of 50 years Lillian Mae Curtis suffered catastrophic head injuries when the giant sign fell on their car in a restaurant parking lot in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, according to a report from ABC affilliate KVUE.

The couple and their daughter Mary Graham, 58, had stopped for a meal after picking up Lloyd Curtis from a hospital in Louisville where he had been undergoing heart surgery when the incident occurred amid 50mph wind bursts.

Lillian, who was sitting in the back seat, suffered “catastrophic” head injuries and was inoperable, the couple’s granddaughter Mary Howard told KVUE.

“The doctors said that it was absolutely instantaneous and that there was no way her body could have felt any pain,” Mary Howard added.

Mary Graham suffered multiple broken ribs and a concussion, and has since been released from hospital.

An autopsy will determine whether the injuries suffered by Lloyd Curtis contributed to his death, the coroner’s office said.

Police are investigating whether the intense wind gusts in Elizabethtown around the time the Denny’s sign could have caused the sign to fall off its base.

In a statement, Denny’s said it was working with authorities to determine what had happened.

Lillian and Lloyd Curtis were farewelled at a joint funeral service on Friday.

“Hope your dancing and singing in Heaven with nanny pa,” another granddaughter Amy Nichols wrote in a Facebook tribute. “My nanny was loved by so many people and this loss has left a hole inside us all.”

A GoFundme page has been set up to help the family with burial and medical costs.