The sister of a Bridgeport construction worker killed in Shelton last week is speaking publicly for the first time about her loss.

Just talking about her brother is hard for Tonia Thompson.

"I'm trying all I can to keep it together -- the kids, my mother are the only ones I got," she said.

It was one week ago that police say Demar Thompson, 46, was killed when he somehow lost control of his Range Rover and crashed in Shelton. He was heading south on Route 8 about a mile north of Exit 12.

His sister, supported by friends and family, remembers getting a message from her mom, who said she had some bad news to report.

"Five, six minutes later, she called me crying saying Demar was gone," she said.

Demar's friend Tony Barr says Thompson was a "very good human being." He says when he got the news, he rushed to be with the family, who was virtually inconsolable.

Relatives say Thompson was a construction worker who loved spending time with his family, watching basketball and working on cars.

Tonia says she is hoping the public will donate to a GoFundMe campaign the family has set up to pay for the funeral on Monday.