STV NewsPolice ScotlandStory by Polly Bartlett and Gianni Marini
A friend of an 18-year-old boy killed in a hit and run crash at the weekend has said he had a “heart of gold”.
Aidan Pilkington died in hospital after being struck down by a light coloured car, possibly a Mercedes A Class, on Saturday.
Dozens of tributes have been left for the teen, who was the youngest of three brothers, near the scene on Crow Road in Glasgow.
Dylan McGinlay told STV News his friend’s death has impacted everybody who knew him.
He said: “When I found out I was lost for words, I kind of didn’t believe it until a few hours later.
“As time goes on, it’s just kind of harder because it is hard to see that he’s away now. I think everybody’s the same, they’re lost for words and they don’t really know how to feel or anything.
“It’s just one big shock.”
At around 12.20am, Aidan was hit by the car which failed to stop and continued driving south on Crow Road in Jordanhill.
Emergency services took Aidan to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
His family said the way he had been “robbed of his life” was “cruel”.
Aidan had left Hyndland Secondary School in the summer and was moving to Dundee on Saturday to study politics at university.
His headteacher said the “loyal and kind friend” had been “very excited” about his future.
His family have donated a memorial fund to the school to help future pupils “reach their potential”.
Louise Edgerton, headteacher at Hyndland Secondary, said: “Aidan was a very special young man in so many ways, thoughtful, ambitious, wanting to live a good and meaningful life and is remembered with love and fondness by all our school community.
“We are also touched to say that Aidan’s legacy will also be honoured by a memorial fund donated by Aidan’s family to the school to help and support future pupils reach their potential and this would have appealed to Aidan’s strong sense of social justice.
“We send our deepest condolences, thoughts and love to all of Aidan’s family and friends at this very sad time and we will endeavour to make sure that Aidan’s successes at our school will live on through the kind donation from Aidan’s parents.”
Dylan said: “He didn’t want to be a part of all the crowds doing other things. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to do well for himself.
“He wasn’t like other people. Everytime you were with him he was always happy.
“He was always clued up and smart.
“God bless him and I hope he’s in a better place than this place down here.”
A fundraiser set up by Aidan’s colleagues at the McDonald’s on Crow Road has raised almost £10,000 for his family.
“[It’s] tremendous,” Dylan said, “For everyone that’s donated, good on themselves.”
You can donate to the fundraiser for Aidan’s family here.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident but has been released pending further investigations.
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