Skater's dashed dreams
‘Hit-run’ vic wanted to be doctor: family
A skater who was killed by an alleged hit-and-run driver in Brooklyn on Saturday had dreams of becoming a doctor, loved ones said Sunday.
Brownsville resident Michael Joefield, 21, was a pre-med student at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, and worked as a florist in his spare time, his girlfriend recalled.
“He was a very good kid,” said Alexis Parker, 22, fighting back tears. “He liked Rollerblading — so he died doing what he loved.”
Driver Terrance Smith, 37, hit Joefield around 8:30 p.m. Saturday as he was skating near Powell Street and Glenmore Avenue in Brownsville, according to police.
Smith was arguing with a passenger, and hit several other vehicles after Joefield — injuring seven other people. He then ditched his car before police captured him a few blocks away, officials said.
News of the cowardly act shocked Parker’s mother, Debbie, who described Joefield as like a member of her family.
“How could you run from that?” she said. “You know you’re in trouble — running just makes things worse. I’d feel so guilty.”
Joefield was studying hard to become a doctor so he could follow in the footsteps of his mom, a nurse, Debbie Parker said.
“He’s very, very smart — smarter than most people I know,” her daughter added. “Very driven, very ambitious.”
Everyone in the Parker family adored Joefield for his great sense of humor and also for his wacky dress style — the science buff often wore a Kermit the Frog hat with Mickey Mouse ears and a backpack in the shape of a hamburger that Alexis got him for Valentine’s Day.
Joefield’s mother was inconsolable at the loss of the sweet young man, an aunt said.
“Michael was a very good kid. He never gave his mother any trouble. He was in college. This is a tragic loss. She is taking this very hard,” said the aunt, who did not want to identify herself, at their Brownsville home.
Police have charged Smith with driving with impaired ability and leaving the scene of an accident, but Alexis Parker says she is too upset to think about his fate.
“I don’t even care what happens to the guy. It’s not going to bring Mike back,” she said. “I hope for the sake of his family and his mother, she gets whatever she needs, but it’s not going to provide any closure for her son being gone.”