Family, friends and coworkers of two men are mourning on this Thanksgiving Eve.
Family, friends and coworkers are remembering two men who were struck and killed while walking in Hartford Wednesday morning.
“Everybody just is absolutely devastated and cannot make sense out of this,” said Barry Simon, Oak Hill president and CEO.
Steve Famiglietti is being remembered for his courage, thoughtfulness and his love of his service dogs.
At Oak Hill – which provides services for people with disabilities – he was the manager of the blindness support center.
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“His energy was just so positive. And he just had this personality that people were drawn to and his kindness just came out everywhere,” Simon said.
Oak Hill’s president says they are stunned by the death of Famiglietti and his partner, Corey Richmond.
A former neighbor described Richmond as a nice and helpful guy who worked as a nurse.
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Police say the pair was out for a morning walk when they were struck and killed on Blue Hills Avenue near Holcomb Street.
“It’s just concerning and it was a horrible accident,” said Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert.
Police report the driver – Billy Hamilton of Vernon – was taken to the hospital. He’s now facing charges of two counts of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of reckless driving.
“The vehicle in question we believe was traveling at a high rate of speed north on Blue Hills Avenue when it struck the two individuals crossing the street,” Boisvert said.
Those at Oak Hill tell us Famiglietti was a patient teacher and a passionate advocate for accessibility. And they will plan on doing something to memorialize him.
“Make sure that the passion and that lust for learning and teaching and helping people lives on,” Simon said.
As for the driver, we’re told he was in police custody at the hospital. After being released, he was expected to be taken to the police detention division for processing.
