CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Paul Kitchen's family described him as fun-loving, funny and regimented. Kitchen died after he was hit by a car on Clinton Street in Cheektowaga Saturday. The driverwho hit Kitchen fled the scene.
"He had three kids. There's my brother Michael, my sister Kathryn, and myself. He had four grandchildren. My sister has three kids and I have one son. So he's going to be dearly missed by everybody," Karen Walck-Corbett, Kitchen's daughter, said.
Kitchen was killed on his 64th birthday.
"He was a chef for many years. He was a good dad. He was very involved with the family. He retired at the age of about 60.
Walck-Corbett said her family lost their dad just two years after their mom died from COVID-19.
"It definitely was shocking, having just lost my mother in 2020 due to COVID. Now to lose my father less than two years later, and now me and my siblings are left with no parents. It's kind of unsettling," Walck-Corbett said.
Melissa Duszkiewicz was driving down Clinton Street when she saw something in the road.
"I was questioning whether it was someone in the road or not because you don't really think you'll come up upon somebody laying in the middle of the road like that in a horrific way. I was scared at first because I didn't want to believe it was somebody in the middle of the road like that," Duszkiewicz said.
But she turned around, realized it was a man, and immediately called 911. She then began assisting two men who were already helping Kitchen.
"I put my blanket from my backseat on him just to try to keep him somewhat warm. I said it's okay. Help is on the way. That's what I told him," Duszkiewicz said.
Cheektowaga police said they have a vehicle in custody. Police and the District Attorney's Office are investigating a person of interest.
"I think that will at least give us some closure. Hopefully this person can get some justice brought to them in regards to the situation," Walck-Corbett said.
