Vigil to be Held for UConn Student, West Hartford Teen Killed by Campus Fire Vehicle

WEST HARTFORD/STORRS, CT – A vigil will be held Tuesday to celebrate the life and mourn the loss of University of Connecticut student Jeffny Pally, 19, who was struck by a vehicle and killed this weekend, state police have said.

The vigil will be held at the Storrs campus on Fairfield Way at 7 p.m., according to the Hartford Courant. Student affairs will help plan a campus memorial service once funeral services, which are still being planned, are complete.

State police told Patch that Pally had been struck by a Uconn Fire Department vehicle on the Storrs campus early Sunday morning. She was sitting with her back against the door of a unit police described as Bay 7 at the UConn Public Safety Complex.

Pally fell to the ground after the vehicle moved to respond to a call and the right side of the car traveled over her, police said. The firefighter who was driving the vehicle has been placed on an administrative duty position and will not respond to calls as the incident is investigated.

"Every student is precious to us, and this is a heartbreaking and tragic loss. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched," UConn President Susan Herbst said in a statement Sunday. "We know that words cannot begin to express their grief."

Pally was a sophomore at the university who had planned on becoming a nurse, News 8 reported. She also was involved with the Delta Gamma sorority on campus, ran cross country and worked at a restaurant in West Hartford.

She also held a number of leadership positions on campus, including being an RA and a student leader in Community Outreach, Fox 61 reported. She was majoring in the Allied Health Science program at UConn.

Pally was a 2015 graduate of Hall High School in West Hartford, according to Fox 61. She was an honor roll student there and an AP scholar, as well as an athlete on the soccer and track and field teams.

Many students who knew Pally said she was somebody who was outgoing and always went out of her way to greet somebody and apply herself in school and extracurricular activities, the Hartford Courant reported. Her brother said she had also been involved in the Special Olympics.

The university is encouraging students and staff to take advantage of counseling services available to them.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has any information can contact Trooper Mark DiCocco at 203-630-8079 or at mark.dicocco@ct.gov. University officials said they are doing everything they can to assist with the investigation.

Additional reporting by Feroze Dhanoa

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