EXCLUSIVE: Son of a man who was hit and killed by a car in Easthampton speaks

EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -Two pedestrians were killed in Easthampton. After that deadly crash in Easthampton earlier this month. One of their family members is now speaking out.

We spoke with Edward Hanlon Jr.’s son, who said his father leaves behind for kids and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who are all grieving this tragic loss.

“I was heartbroken. I was heartbroken. It killed me,” said Edward Hanlon, Edward’s son.

Hanlon spoke with Western Mass News after his father was hit and killed by a car on Northampton Street in Easthampton.

“It actually happened on my birthday, and to get this as a birthday present really hurt,” he said.

Police told Western Mass News that 81-year-old Edward Hanlon, Jr. and 60-year-old Ilona Murray died after being hit by a car while crossing the street on August 2.

“My son called me and told me all the news, and i said, ‘are you sure it’s my dad? Are you positive?’ I didn’t know. I was calling the hospital. I was calling places to look and see where he was, and I couldn’t find him,” he said.

The driver that hit them is cooperating with authorities. No charges have yet been filed. Hanlon said the couple was together nearly 20 years, and were committed to each other in a ceremony just last year.

“They were always together, wherever they were. They were never one not with the other. They were always together,” Hanlon said.

And the accident is taking a toll on him.

“I was up the next three nights, I couldn’t sleep. I was taking sleeping pills to go to sleep because I couldn’t sleep because I think about it all the time,” he said

He told Western Mass News that he’s already had to deal with tragedy in the family.

“I lost my mom five years ago to a murder in Florida. It’s just, it’s a sad way to lose them,” he said.

Hanlon described his father as an avid sports fan who loved to cook. And he was very giving, doing a lot to help others in the community.

“He did a lot of volunteering, cooking and helping out, and he’d help people on the street. I’ve seen him help a homeless person, buy them a tent and a sleeping bag, so I know they were good people,” he said.

Now, Hanlon is asking for the community’s help to pay for funeral expenses.

“They had absolutely nothing. They didn’t have no insurance policies, nothing...I’m on disability. I can’t afford to pay this, and I’m working hard to do it,” Hanlon said.

Meantime Thursday night, Mass State Police were working on accident reconstruction as part of their ongoing investigation into this tragic accident. Hanlon said he’s hoping it gets settled and police figure out what exactly happened.

Informration on the Gofundme page can be found here.

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