ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. – Zach Morisette would have turned 27 in October -- an incredible feat in and of itself considering he beat cancer three times as a child.
Morisette was killed Monday in a hit-and-run on I-94.
“He was a true, genuine good guy and a family man,” said his brother, Rodney Morisette. “He was the best guy I knew.”
The family spoke to Local 4 on the way to the medical examiner’s office. They said they wanted people to know how many lives were changed forever by the actions of a single driver.
“They’ll never know the void and the heartache that they caused my family,” Rodney Morisette said. “We’ll never get over this.”
His family said Zach Morisette loved his niece and nephews. He was a devoted family man who beat cancer three times as a child.
“My brother had to fight his whole life. He was finally happy working for the county and for this guy to hit him and just keep going and not have the decency to stop? It’s just despicable,” Rodney Morisette said.
The family said Zach was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 6 years old. The cancer returned when he was 8 and again when he was 13. The family said doctors had recently declared him cancer free.
Zach, a resident of Chesterfield, worked for the Department of Roads in Macomb County. He was doing road work on eastbound I-94 near Nine Mile Road in St. Clair Shores when he was hit and killed at about 3 p.m. The driver did not stop and the collision shut down I-94 for hours.
Michigan State Police said they will continue to canvass the neighborhood as the crash reconstruction unit investigates.
“I would say do the right thing and turn yourself in. Imagine if your family is in the situation my family is in,” Rodney said. “I just want them to know what they took from me and my kids and my family.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Michigan State Police at 313-237-2450.
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