A father of three young kids is being remembered for always lending a helping hand to his family after being fatally struck by a vehicle in Brampton on Monday night.
The crash took place in the area of Queen Street West and Mississauga Road at around 9:30 p.m.
At the time, officers said the victim – identified as Jeffrey Knowles – was crossing at an intersection when he was fatally struck. Knowles was pronounced dead at the scene.
His fiancée of five years, Gabrielle Lance-Brumsey, told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday that Knowles left their home just after 9 p.m. to head to a nearby convenience store to pick up items for their children. She said he took his longboard with him at the time.
“We were here (at home) and it was about quarter after nine and he had to go to the store and he was going down Queen Street on his longboard and at about midnight he still wasn’t home and I didn’t know what was taking him so long because it would only take him 45 minutes at the most to get there and back,” she said.
“I went out to the street and saw the cop cars and I walked down the road and asked them what happened and they said a pedestrian was hit and instantly I got a gut feeling.”
Construction has been happening in the area beginning in July 2016 before Lance-Brumsey and Knowles moved in during August of this year. She said they would never take their children to the store when walking because they had to walk on the road due to the construction.
“There is nowhere to walk but the road and I didn’t want my kids walking up there,” she said. “It just made me nervous so I didn’t want to.”
Knowles provided for their three kids and his mother who lived with them.
“He took care of everything but now I’ve got to move back in with my mom,” Lance-Brumsey said. “We’ve got to get rid of the house. We possibly have to get rid of the dogs but I’m going to try to keep them together. I’m going to have to work out a job and day care and definitely finances are not good.”
“He was very big on family. He did everything in his power to take care of us.”
His mother, Susan Knowles, said he looked after her while speaking with CTV News Toronto on Wednesday.
“He took me to my doctor’s appointments,” she said. “He loved me. He was my one and only. I just don’t know how I’m going to go on without him.”
“We haven’t been the same since. It was just so tragic. The kids still don’t know, they still just think daddy’s out. It’s so hard to explain to them now.”
Following the crash, Lance-Brumsey said Peel Regional Police told her that it would take months to find out what happened on that night. But, officers said certain safety measures, including reducing the speed limit and putting up construction signs in the area have been implemented.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the futures of Knowles' children.
