Sydney's Light: Mom turns grief into action after deadly motorcycle crash

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — A Colorado mother is channeling her devastating loss into a mission to prevent similar tragedies after her daughter died in a motorcycle crash last year.

Sydney Howells would have turned 23 this week. Instead, her mother, Kriquett Howells, is working to honor her daughter's memory by advocating for safer intersections and sharing Sydney's story on social media.

"She was a light," Kriquett said of Sydney. "And I think that's what hurts the most — losing that light."

But Kriquett is doing all she can to keep that light shining. Sydney died in a January 2025 motorcycle crash on Baptist Road at Leather Chaps north of Colorado Springs. Investigators with the Colorado State Patrol determined that speeding by Sydney contributed to the fatal accident.

"It is the biggest, most painful hole I have ever experienced," Kriquett explained.

A memorial has stood strong, honoring Sydney's life for more than a year now at the intersection. Friends and community members have continued to gather at the roadside memorial near the intersection. Her mother said she still receives messages and stories from people who knew her — and from strangers who did not.

“I don’t really feel like I feel her,” Kriquett said. “But I feel her through other people.”

Despite her grief, Kriquett has turned her pain into purpose.

"God doesn't waste your grief," she said.

She began sharing Sydney's story through social media posts, which caught the attention of the community. Her mother said the posts began as a way to process grief.

“It felt like a poison in me,” she said. “You have to talk about it. You have to get it out.”

The stories of who Sydney was, how she lived, and how she passed have touched countless others across the community and the country. One message to Kriquett came from a mother whose daughter shared the same name, age, and love of motorcycles. That mother originally believed her daughter had been involved when initial messages circulated on social media about a crash at Baptist and Leather Chaps. After reading Kriquett's posts, the other mother said her daughter sold her motorcycle and began training to become an emergency medical technician.

"We have been crying for your family," Kriquett recalled the message she received from another woman. "We love your family. We've been following your story."

Kriquett says the woman told her that her daughter took those stories as a sign, and decided to get rid of her motorcycle and began training to become an emergency medical technician. That was just one of many strangers Kriquett has connected with since posting her stories.

While Colorado State Patrol determined speed was the primary cause of Sydney's crash, the 153-page crash report noted that visibility of eastbound traffic is reduced because of a sloping hill at the intersection of Baptist Road and Leather Chaps Drive. Sydney was traveling eastbound on Baptist Road with a green light when she hit a car that was turning left in front of her.

After reviewing the crash details, Kriquett Howells contacted the county requesting changes to the traffic signal in October. According to records with the county, there had only been five service requests tied to changing the signals at this intersection since 2020 prior to Kriquett's, with the latest coming in March of 2025, about the same time Kriquett started sharing Sydney's story online. It wasn't Kriquett's request that prompted a traffic study in August, but someone else also felt the change was needed. To Kriquett's surprise, in December, she saw the change to a left on green-arrow only had been implemented at the intersection, not long after she had submitted her own request.

"I did put it out there in our community Facebook so that people knew that the city and the county were actually listening, that they did actually do something," Kriquett said.

Kriquett Howells drives by the intersection almost daily.

"Every time I drive by, I just say, 'Hi, Syd,'" she said.

She believes this change could save lives and is now pushing for similar modifications at other intersections.

"All those little things we do could save a life — and we don't even know it," Kriquett said.

The intersection change happened through a citizen service request to the county. Residents who want to propose similar changes can do so through the county's service catalog. You can make a service request through El Paso County by clicking here or through the county's app.

"All I say is that hopefully if you read her story, you'll feel like you know her," Kriquett said of her posts. "That you can love her, that she'll live on in your heart. You'll take maybe a moment to be aware of the motorcyclists out there, to give them space to really take an extra moment to make sure that your turn is clear.... all those little things that we can do that could save a life and we don't even know it, right?"

Kriquett added she was thankful for all of the community support and feedback as she continues to share Sydney's story.

Kriquett's post in December, which was shared with News5, prompted this story:

PART #23 - SYDNEY’S LIGHT

"Her" light is finally in...

When Sydney was killed on January 2nd, 2025, at the corner of Baptist Road and Leather Chaps Drive in Monument, CO, I learned how dangerous this intersection was based on the numerous comments coming through on social media that night.

Among other issues, there's a brief blind spot that results from the upward crest of the hill.

Many of our Monument city residents were suggesting that a protected left-turn light should have been installed there years ago.

So, with that, this became one of my "Sydney's Projects" I wanted to complete this year in her honor.

As I sat there at that new light yesterday afternoon, waiting for my protected left turn, in the same spot that driver sat before making her fateful decision, I couldn't help but think how different our lives would be right now if that light was there a year ago.

Maybe, then, that driver wouldn't have turned left in front of Sydney, taking away her right-of-way...and taking her from us forever.

Either way, it can't be changed now, but we did have the power to make a small difference for future pedestrians, riders and drivers.

At the end of September, after we finally completed Sydney's accident investigation, I was ultimately free to start telling her accident story online.

That same week, now the beginning of October, additionally, I was now able to reach out to the city and submit that request to install a protected left-hand turn light.

I was sick to my stomach for a number of reasons, but one was the anticipation of a long, emotional battle with the city. I was expecting to have to petition for this critical light by rounding up hundreds of signatures from our local residents. I knew I could do it, but I wasn't looking forward to the process.

However, I received a response back from the city a few days later saying that the county had also recently submitted a request for this light and that it had been approved.

And actually, 2 lights would be going in....in both directions.

I. Was. Shocked.

I took a moment to ponder this unexpected and simple response. And as I mulled further, I realized that the county had submitted this request the EXACT week that I started posting Sydney's accident story and pictures on social media.

It had been 10 months.

Why was this request being submitted now? Was there someone, who was watching my chapters of Sydney's story play out, connected with the county and now felt compelled to help make this happen?

Either way, I'm extremely grateful that the process ended up being much simpler than I was expecting.

Yesterday, now 2 months after my request, I reached out to the residents of our Monument community through our local Facebook groups to let them know that those precious lights had now been installed, and I wanted to acknowledge and thank the city and the county for making this happen to make this intersection safer.

I was super grateful for all the comments and feedback I received. I have shared screenshots of a few below.

For those of you who are local, the next time you drive through that intersection, please think of Sydney and remember that her life was lost that night. Her memorial still sits at that corner to remind us how life-altering a mistake like this can be...

Please drive safely and make sure your left turns are truly clear... it's one of the main reasons that riders on motorcycles are killed.

Thank you, Steph Thiessen for sharing this song with me at the exact time I needed it for this post...it was perfect.

Click here to follow Kriquett's stories about Sydney on Facebook. You can read more about "Sydney's Kindness Project" by clicking here.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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