A West Haven family is remembering their 19-year-old daughter killed in a crash over the weekend.
“She was just everything you would want in a daughter. Everything.”
Jason Lassiter had fond memories of his stepdaughter, Madysin Hilker or “Mady”.
“Madysin was just a free spirit girl and so sweet. She cared about her family immensely,” Lassiter said.
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The family still trying to process the loss. She was one of two people killed in a three-car crash last Saturday on Middletown Avenue in New Haven.
“It’s a huge, huge void in all of our lives now,” Kendra Brown, Mady’s mother said.
Missing now is the cheer Mady’s sister says she spread to others.
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“She just wanted to see you laugh. Never cry. She might roast you a little bit,” Alana Gambardella, Mady’s older sister, said.
After the deadly crash, the family felt alone at first, but then came an outpouring of community support.
“Whether it was someone dropping off a meal or whether it was a donation to the GoFundMe, everything was appreciated,” Lassiter said.
The family says they’re comforted knowing Mady’s friend, who was injured in the crash is doing well, but are keeping the other victim, 21-year-old Dajsha Knight of New Haven in their hearts as well.
“From a mom to a mom, I just wish I could hug her mom because I’m so sad for her,” Brown said.
New Haven police say the investigation into that deadly crash remains ongoing. Hilker’s family say they’d like to make a permanent memorial for her in the future.
