The week since Norma Asprilla's son died in a hit-and-run crash has been "horrific," she said at a news conference Friday, a "nightmare that I cannot wake up from."
Asprilla's oldest son, Roderick "Kito" Jackson, was one of two people killed in a hit-and-run crash at a work site in Waltham, Massachusetts, last week. His death hit her especially hard as she brought the clothes that he is to be buried in to the funeral home, she said.
"Why has this happened to our family? We're good people. Our home is always open," she said, adding, "We just can't comprehend what's happening."
Jackson, a 36-year-old National Grid worker from Cambridge, was killed in the crash on the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 6, along with Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey, whose funeral was held earlier Friday. Two other National Grid workers were hurt in the crash as well.
Jackson, whose nickname was "Kito," is set to be laid to rest at Cambridge's St. Paul AME Church on Saturday. Friday's news conference was to announce the creation of a scholarship in Jackson's name, to be given to a student-athlete from Cambridge, and that the family plans to bring a civil suit against the driver accused of killing Jackson and Tracey, who has a criminal history.
"The family wants answers about why he was able to be out in the community and how something like this ever could have been allowed to happen," said the family's attorney, Thomas Flaws.
The Jackson family attended Tracey's wake on Thursday, a leader of Tracey's funeral said at the service, and Asprilla made a point of offering a statement to Tracey's family on Friday, since they weren't able to attend the funeral.
"We want their family to know, and their community, that we're with them and we also support them as they have supported our family all this time."
Jackson's brother spoke about the impact the crash had on his family last week after the court hearing for Peter Simon, the New Hampshire man facing charges over what happened.
"He meant everything to me, he meant everything to everybody," Manuel Asprilla-Hassan said. "The city of Cambridge knows who he is. When everybody forgets about him, we will remember. This is a nightmare that I'm living in. I woke up -- what just happened? You get what I'm saying? I can't even explain this story to anybody."
