CHARELEMONT — A 20-year-old Charlemont man died Thursday morning after a vehicle he was driving struck a tree off of Route 2 and caught fire, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
Melissa Sippel, a spokesperson for the DA’s office, on Monday confirmed that Darek Harvey was the vehicle’s sole occupant when it crashed at approximately 4:45 a.m. She said the vehicle caught fire shortly after it struck a tree near Burrington Road.
Sippel said the crash is under investigation.
A GoFundMe published Saturday to help ease the financial burden left on Harvey’s family has already raised $5,956 of its $9,000 goal. Harvey’s family could not be reached on Monday, but Harvey’s mother, Heidi Hier, posted on Facebook early morning Monday expressing grief for her son’s loss and thanking friends and family for their support.
“My world crashed around me and I’m standing still. He was only 20 years old, he had his whole life ahead of him,” she wrote. “I’m completely numb. I miss his hugs, goofiness, voice, laugh, scent, his ‘I love you,’ his random phone calls, smart mouth, his beautiful heart and smile, I miss it all.”
On Monday, two hockey sticks were placed in an “X” shape on the tree where Harvey was believed to have crashed — an homage to the young victim’s passion for hockey and former position as a goalkeeper on the Brattleboro boys varsity hockey team.
One of Harvey’s friends and former teammates Matthew Gordon-Macey, in an Instagram Post published Sunday, referred to him as the kind of friend who was always there to lighten the mood and offered unwavering support.
“Darek Harvey or ‘Harvs’ was more than just a friend to me. He was a rare person, always seemingly able to put a smile on my face and those around him … Being a goalie can be a lonely position, but I always felt at home with Harvey, whether I was his cheerleader or he was mine, we always had each others back,” Gordon-Macey wrote. “He was one of those people who you always thought would be a best man at your wedding, someone who could take that pressure off your back.”