Family remembers 8-year-old Owen Hailey, killed in Wisconsin crash: "He was the life of everything"

A heartbroken family is remembering their 8-year-old boy who died in a western Wisconsin car crash in December.

Owen Hailey was the second oldest of four siblings and was known to be everyone's best bud.

"We miss him every second of every day," said Joe Hailey, Owen Hailey's father. "It feels like it was just yesterday that we lost him, and it feels like a lifetime since we've been with him."

His mother says on Dec. 9 she picked him up from school to take him to his orthodontist appointment when they hit a patch of ice.

"I lost control of the car," said Alisha Hailey. "We spun out one way and as I attempted to correct the car, it spun out the other way and went into oncoming traffic."

They were hit and both were rushed to the emergency room. Owen Hailey later died.

"He was the life of everything. He squeezed every ounce of joy from every opportunity he could," his parents said.

His legacy is inspiring the Haileys to live their life in his honor while raising his other siblings—  Liam, Jada and Lincoln. 

The Haileys say that support from the New Richmond Youth Hockey Association, the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks is helping them get by.

"It's the only way we get to be sitting here having this conversation, is the support," said Joe Hailey. "Or we'd be hiding in a dark hole, hurting."

The Hailey's say they wish they could tell their son how much they love him, one more time.

The family would like to thank the following for their support:

• Lift Bridge Yoga and Fitness community
• NRYHA
• Starr Elementary Staff
• St. Mary's Staff
• Prohybrid hockey
• SOV Church staff and community
• Short dance staff and community
• Moore Imprints
• Designer Logo and Embroidery
• Hubbard Broadcasting
• SCOH Beck
• Surrounding hockey communities near and far
• Minnesota Wild team and staff
• Chicago Blackhawks team
• Bakken Young
• NR Emergency Services
• Westfield ER
• Regions ER
• Children's Gillette
• Halos of the St. Croix Valley
• Rollout construction industries
• GoFundMe donations
• MealTrain donations
• Ashley Foster Photography
• NPDP
• Callista Hessler
• St. Croix County dispatch
• Family, friends and the entire NR community