NEW YORK CITY–A Jasper native who was hit by a drunk driver Monday morning in Manhattan’s East Village, has died. Raife Milligan, 21, was a biochemistry major, and was studying to be a doctor at NYU.
News of his death came from a GoFundMe page that was set up to help pay for his family’s expenses. As of Friday, the page had raised nearly all of the $30,000 goal.
Police said Milligan was hit while crossing the street and was found lying in the street with head trauma when rescue workers arrived just before 3 a.m. Monday. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he died.
The man who hit Milligan, Michael Deguzman, 49, of Astoria, has been charged with drunk driving. It was unclear if he would face other charges following Milligan’s death.
“Raife was one in a million. Brilliant beyond his years. Saying he will be missed is an understatement. He impacted so many lives in a positive way and will be greatly missed. We will live on through his memory holding him deep in our hearts forever. Legends never die!” read the post on the GoFundMe page.
