I have a good friend named Brian Hickey. We’ve known one another since the early 1990s. when we both worked for The Review, Delaware’s student newspaper. Hickey (as we all call him) is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I was just thinking about this a few minutes ago—in all our years, I’ve truly never heard anyone say a bad thing about the guy.
At the college paper, Hickey was as old school, hard core as they came. He smoked cigarettes and drank beers and chased after stories like a veteran newspaper guy from the 1950s. In the ensuing years he’s worked for a series of newspapers, as well as for a recent political campaign. Uh … yeah, I’m babbling.
Anyhow, earlier today I received this forwarded e-mail from Hickey’s wife. To say I’m devastated is an understatement:
At approximately 10:15pm Friday, November 28th, Brian was hit by a vehicle while walking along Atlantic Avenue (a residential street with a speed limit of 25) in Collingswood. He was out meeting old friends and we think he was walking to the Patco speedline to come home to Philadelphia as this was our typical route to the train. Brian is currently in the Trauma-ICU at Cooper University Hospital in critical condition having undergone bilateral decompression to relieve the pressure on his brain late this evening. The next few hours/days are critical and I will send updates when I can via email or facebook. At this time, I don’t really have words to describe the soul that left him for dead at the scene and unfortunately the automobile has not been identified but I pray someone comes forward.
Fortunately, a few moments ago I heard that Brian’s CT scan looked good.
I’m not sure whether I believe in God or faith or prayer or hope or what. But I do believe that Brian Hickey will not allow some punk-ass hit-and-run driver to take him down. No way. Not Hickey.
