West Chester Student Killed By Car Saved 3 Lives, Helped Heal 100 Others As Organ Donor

WEST CHESTER, PA — The West Chester University student who was struck and killed by a vehicle earlier this month has been honored by the Gift of Life Donor Program, which says he saved and healed lives as an organ and tissue donor.

The donations made by 21-year-old Garrett Nicholas allowed the end of his life to mark a beginning for numerous others. His donations saved three lives, and helped to heal around 100 others.

Those who knew him say it's fitting.

“Garrett’s compassion didn’t end with his life," his family Traci Conrad Hafner, Tavis Hafner, Gary Nicholas, and Daisy Donis shared in a statement. "It lives on in the people he saved. That’s just who he was. He gave so freely, and his kindness reached far beyond himself. The pain of losing him is beyond words, and the space he leaves can never be filled. But knowing that he is still helping others gives us a sense of peace and purpose that we will hold onto."

The incident occurred at around 1:30 a.m. on April 12 on the 300 block of South High Street. Police said they are in contact with the driver. Specifics remain unclear, and the investigation is ongoing.

Nicholas, a native of Orefield in Lehigh County, was a junior at West Chester when a promising future was cut short.

He was studying business management and supply chain management. He was close with family and his fraternity brothers in Pi Kappa Alpha, hundreds of whom came to Paoli Hospital to stand in solidarity with him for an "honor walk" with family and hospital staff as he passed away.

“In all my years, I’ve never experienced an outpouring of support like what I saw with Garrett,” said John Edwards, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Gift of Life and a West Chester University graduate. “I am especially in awe of the character of Garrett’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers. Their presence reflected loyalty, love, and lifelong connection.”

Friends described Nicholas as unique, warm, and thoughtful, the type of person who "knew was truly mattered," his obituary notes.

"Garrett was my best friend and a one-of-a-kind person," his roommate, Jimmy Kane, wrote in a GoFundMe launched for the family on Tuesday. "It's so rare to find someone like him. He was just like the rest of the guys, but always different in the best ways."

Nearly $100,000 has been raised in the GoFundMe to support his family.

His life and legacy will be honored at Gift of Life's upcoming Donor Dash event, set for April 26 at the Navy Yard. To learn more about organ donation, see here..

Details on a celebration of life event will be held in the near future.