‘He’s all I had left’: Daughter of Copperas Cove man killed in hit-and-run pleads for help covering funeral costs
COPPERAS COVE, Texas (KWTX) - EDITOR’S NOTE: Investigators with the Texas Dept. of Public Safety on Tuesday announced the arrest of Russell Allan Meier, 86, of Copperas Cove, in the hit-and-run death of a motorcyclist.
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Benny Ray Manning, 63, was struck and killed by a vehicle while on the side of Bea Powell Road just south of Grimes Crossing in Coryell County on Dec. 26.
His daughter, Courtney Cathey, learned about his death after returning a call from a DPS trooper.
“The first thing he said to me was that my daddy had got into an accident and he was not able to speak to them, so they needed to come speak to me,” said Cathey. “I said, ‘what do you mean he’s not able to speak to you? Is he dead?’”
DPS visited Cathey to tell her that her father may have been working on the minibike when he was struck by a driver who fled the scene.
She said the bike was a gift to her father so he didn’t have to walk into town.
“Ever since he’s been alone, he just wanted to drive his little minibike into town and go to the park,” said Cathey. “He would go to the 7-Eleven and sit there at the 7-Eleven or sit at the store and talk to people.”
Now his daughter is struggling to process the loss of her father the day after Christmas.
“He was all I had left.” said Cathey. “My mom died 2-years-ago and he was all alone. He was the only parent I had left so, I’m really lost now.”
She’s lost because she believes he didn’t have to die.
“If he stopped, maybe my daddy could have survived,” said Cathey.
Through her grief, Cathey is trying to find a way to pay for the funeral she never expected.
“No, I can’t afford it but I did create a GoFundMe and I am hoping that people will donate to it to help me because, like I said, he was the only one that I had left and I don’t have nobody else to help me,” said Cathey.
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