"Glue that held the friend group together": Father killed by truck with snow plow remembered
The loved ones of a 31-year-old man killed on a snowy Abbotsford road are coming together to remember him and support his wife and toddler.
Anthony Hetzel, an electrician, was on his way to train at a new job site in Abbotsford when his car came off the road and ended up in a snowy ditch. He got out, either to clear his car or to get help, and was hit by a privately contracted truck with a snow plow at the front.
Family friend Meagan McManus said he was brought back after being gone for 45 minutes, taken to hospital, underwent surgery, and died in hospital.
“He was in surgery for hours before he passed. And the surgeons said he shouldn’t have even been alive when they got him. It was an ordeal for everyone,” family friend Meagan McManus told Daily Hive.
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Anthony leaves behind his wife, Ashley, and their toddler, Fox. The loss has been devastating for their family.
“Every time [Fox] asks for Daddy that breaks Ashley’s heart a little bit,” McManus said. “He doesn’t know what’s happening.”
McManus and her husband have been friends with Anthony and Ashley since high school, part of a larger group of about 10 friends. McManus described Anthony as the “glue that holds the friend group together.” He was selfless, honest, and kind — always taking care of others when they were going through a hard time, she said.
Anthony was also the sole income earner for the family, with Ashley staying home to raise their son.
McManus is now organizing an online fundraiser to support Ashley and Fox as they deal with the loss, saying anything as little as $5 can help the family. Donations have poured in from those touched by the story — the GoFundMe is currently at $12,000 of its $50,000 goal.
The deadly collision happened just after 6 am on January 18 at Parallel Road and Fooks Road, just off Highway 1, according to Abbotsford police. The snow plow driver cooperated with the investigation and was not impaired. Inclement weather is believed to be a contributing factor.
“Just tell people you love them,” McManus said. “Because you never know when it will be the last time.”
With files from Daily Hive’s Nikitha Martins