"The cause of death is pending studies," said Dr. Richmond, the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Mass.
"He was just a little too young to die," said M.J. Moran foreman and friend Daniel King. Hackett was 27 years old.
"I grew up with him ... his mom and my mom were best friends," said King. "He was a great kid, always joking around-very good hearted."
"It is a tragic loss," said Director of Facilities Planning and Management Jim Brassord. "It is more acutely felt because M.J. Moran is a tightknit group of tradesmen." Brassord explained that the subcontractor's workers stay with the company for a long time and that the company has a very "paternal" approach. He also said that Hackett had a long and significant history with the group.
"I am sure that the loss is felt very deeply among the tradesmen of M.J. Moran Mechanical as well as among all the other subcontractors," said Brassord.
M.J. Moran Mechanical is one of 15 to 20 subcontractors working on Fayerweather under the construction manager A Joint Venture, according to Brassord.
According to King, Hackett had a medical history of heart problems.
Hackett, who worked on the plumbing in Fayerweather, was working in the attic on Monday morning.
"He was walking down from the attic," said King. "He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and sat down." King said that Hackett, who had noticed that something was wrong, then fell over and was caught by a co-worker.
Campus Police received a call at 9:14 a.m. calling for an ambulance, according to Chief of Campus Police John Carter. "The Campus Police dispatch was called by the town dispatch to report that an ambulance was en route to Fayerweather Hall for a report of a person convulsing," said Carter.
"We sent two of our police officers on the call," said Carter. The Campus Police officers arrived at Fayerweather at 9:55 a.m. to find two workers doing CPR on a third person who was down. According to Carter, Campus Police assisted in giving care.
"Shortly thereafter the ambulance arrived from the Town of Amherst and they took over care," said Carter.
Hackett was transported from the College to Cooley-Dickenson Hospital. The official time of death was 10:44 a.m., according to the Medical Examiner's Office.
Hackett grew up in Ludlow, Mass. and is an alumnus of Ludlow High School. His parents, Paul and Jeri Hackett, are still residents of Ludlow. Hackett's sister and brother-in-law live in Wilbraham, MA.
"He had a heart of gold," said King. "He'd do anything to help anybody."