HARTFORD -- Kamron Redding-Hall, 26, of Hartford was killed Friday night when his motorcycle hit a guardrail on I-84 near exit 55. Police said he was attempting to turn left on the ramp when he struck the metal guardrail on the right shoulder. He was taken to Hartford Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Redding-Hall was a coach for the Hartford Hurricanes Pop Warner football team for the past five years. Monday night was supposed to be his first practice of the season, but instead the team started the practice off with a moment of silence for their coach.
"He was a good guy. He's been with me ever since I started playing," said Jayshawn Figueroa, one of the players saying they'll miss "Coach Kam."
The team actually canceled their weekend practice after news of Redding-Hall's accident spread.
"Kids were calling each other crying," said Hartford Hurricanes President Phil Bryant. "I knew that he had a major effect in our community, but I'm going to be honest, I had no idea the monument stature that he held with the youth in our city."
Redding-Hall's coworkers at the Crowley Nissan dealership in Bristol are feeling the loss too. He was a lead technician for several years at the dealership, and the service manager describes the employees as a close knit group.
"Devastated is to say the least. We'll miss him. We'll miss him a lot here. It's hard to replace a guy like him that works as hard as he did,"said John Hogan, service manager at Crowley Nissan.
Redding-Hall leaves behind two sons, ages 7 and 5, in addition to all of his kids on the football team.
The Hurricanes community came together to remember their coach, mentor and friend. He appeared at games throughout the area, supported kids with rides, money for food and appearances at school, according to the Hurricanes Facebook page.
The team posted memories of Coach Kam, including a video recorded as he pumped up his team before a game.
A GoFundMe page is raising money for his family. "Our goal is to fulfill his wishes to provide the best education opportunities for his children," the page writes.
The Hurricanes have renamed a planned jamboree scheduled for this weekend in his honor, now called the Kamron Redding-Hall Bowl-Jamboree. That event will be held Saturday, August 13 at Colt Park.
To read more about Redding-Hall or to donate to his GoFundMe page, click here.