JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local family is grieving after losing two children exactly three months apart with both deaths involved cars hitting them.
The first happened in September, when their 12-year-old son Brighton Penkacik was running away from a dog, ran into oncoming traffic, was hit by a car and died.
The second happened Friday, when their 25-year-old son Dalton was walking to work early in the morning and was killed in a hit and run on Blanding Boulevard.
Jason Penkacik, the father of both of those children, tells News4Jax that it feels like he’s living a in a bad movie. He says he would still cry three to four times a week about losing his 12-year-old son and now this death just makes things worse.
On Friday, Jason and Shawnee Penkacik were notified by police their 25-year-old son was killed in a hit and run on Blanding Boulevard.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says an officer noticed Dalton lying in the road around 1:15 a.m.
Family says he was out at that hour because he was walking to his early morning shift at the Amazon warehouse.
Dalton’s mom and dad described him as someone who was kind, loving and compassionate.
Exactly three months before Dalton was killed, his 12-year-old brother Brighton died.
According to JSO Brighton and his little brother were walking to school when they started being chased by a dog.
The little brother stopped, but Brighton continued running away.
He then ran into oncoming traffic and was hit by a car. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
“It’s tough there’s so much irony into it. Friday the first. Early morning just the start of your day. For Brighton I was just getting ready to go to work. I was woken out of bed by Dalton, “Jason Penkacik says. “It feels like a horror movie that I don’t know if Hollywood could write.”
Jason and Shawnee say what they’re going through is something they never imagined, and they hope someone comes forward and admits to hitting Dalton and driving off, so they can begin to heal.
Detectives believe the vehicle involved in Dalton’s hit and run is a Volkswagen because of evidence at the scene.
The family is asking anyone with information to come forward and speak to JSO.