ST CHARLES, Mo. — Friends, family and strangers gathered on a rainy Thursday morning to remember a beloved father who was killed last week in a motorcycle accident.
They did a balloon release on the side of I-70 where the crash happened in memory of 65-year-old John Hawley.
On March 4, Hawley took a ride on his motorcycle to visit his mother’s grave for her birthday around 11:40 a.m. According to the crash report, that’s when a red pickup truck struck the motorcycle, knocking the motorcycle to the ground. The rider was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, but he was killed when the driver of a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 accidentally ran him over. He was pronounced dead on the scene of the crash.
A week later, the Missouri State Highway Patrol is still searching for the red pickup truck that struck Hawley and then took off.
The MSHP trooper who has been investigating the crash came out to join Hawley’s family for the balloon release. Michelle Todd, who witnessed the crash take place, was also there to give the family a hug.
Todd was on her way to a house showing when the incident happened.
In a previous interview with 5 On Your Side she shared a message for the fleeing truck driver.
"He needs to suck it up and turn himself in, that what he did he will live with for the rest of his life," said Todd.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Missouri State Highway Patrol.