The Crash

OFFICER HAD THE RED LIGHTBCSO turns over early findings to DA in deadly crash. ALBJ2/15/2013 New details have emerged about an Albuquerque police car crash that killed a young woman and injured her sister near Eagle Ranch Road and Paseo Del Norte.Investigators initially reported Albuquerque Sgt Adam Casaus was responding to a drunken driver, but Casaus vehicle log shows no evidence that he was en route to a DWU call.The last call logged by Casaus to dispatchers was a robbery investigation that was cleared around 10 pm. Nothing else was on Casaus ' call list for the next three hours....until the fatal wreck. records show his call for help, then the next call to dispatch and he explained the gravity of the situation.I have a laceration to my head and some chest pain. I'm not sure about the other car? Per Albuquerque Journal 2/21/13 APD Sgt. Adam Casaus ran a red light as he drove west on Paseo del Norte into the intersection of Eagle Ranch Rd. T-boning northbound SUV and killing its passenger in the early morning hours of Feb 10th, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office. Ashley Browder, 21 was killed in the crash. The driver, Ashley's sister, 19 year old Lindsay Browder, was released several days after the crash from University of New Mexico Hospital where she was treated for a broken hip and spine.An attorney for the Browder family declined comment on the case but said in an email that the family is "profoundly grateful for the outpouring of support from the community and appreciate the media's respect of their need for privacy". Courtesy of Albuquerque Journal

FEBRUARY 10th 2013 2:30 a.m. - OFFICER HAD THE RED LIGHT

Lindsay Browder

February 10th. It's been a year since I woke up in the hospital, clueless of the accident, telling the nurse to call my sister so she could call our parents and tell them I was okay. I don't remember the ambulance ride, but I do remember dropping Ashley off at home and watched her wave goodbye. I know Ashley made my dream happen and it was her way of saying goodbye. I will forever be heartbroken waking up and hearing the news I thought was impossible, for the last thing I remembered was waving goodbye to Ashley. I broke my pelvis and my hip, had to be in a wheelchair, and on crutches. I now rock braces to fix my teeth that were fractured or chipped, and am still on the long journey of recovering. My life has forever changed this past year, and truth be told, I'm not okay. I lost the only person who understood me, who loved me with her whole heart, and would stick up for me through anything. I lost my sister a year ago today, only when we were trying to do to the right thing, not drink and drive, like our parents always taught us. I can't believe it's been a year since that awful night. This has opened my eyes to appreciate family, get rid of anything or anyone that holds you back, and love life today and everyday. I challenge YOU to "live your dash".

Donna Browder

1 year ago February 10th 2013, I went to bed and in the early morning hours my phone was ringing. I will never forget the nurse on the other end and her words to me. She had to say them four or five times because I just did not understand what she was trying to tell me. I hung up screaming and in a matter of minutes it was a movie playing in my head, Ashley's birth, holding her for the first time, her first words, crawling, trying to pull herself up. Then I saw, her first day at school, Lindsay's arrival into the family. It was this flash to graduation, then off to the Air Force and "the day I said goodbye" as she left for New Mexico. I could not move, you see Ashley was full of life, a very happy person. If you were in a room with her you were laughing. It then occurred to me, I was in a state like most parents....denial. I felt she would be coming home. When I finally arrived to New Mexico and saw Lindsay's beat up, broken body, and the spark missing from her eyes....that spark that has been there since the day she was born it was becoming a reality? I raised these girls like twins, dressed alike since day one until Ashley protested in elementary school. They were the best of friends. Ashley had a passion for helping others, this is our way as a family to keep her memory alive. We are excited to see how far these acts of kindness can touch other lives. I am so happy to see that is has already launched with some wonderful stories. Thank you, Donna Browder