By: Las Vegas Now Staff
A Las Vegas teen who lost his life because of an inattentive driver was remembered Monday night when loved one honored him with a candlelight walk.
The driver who hit and killed 16-year-old Keanu Irving Lee Davila told police he just took his eyes off the road for a second before he slammed into Davila, who was riding a bicycle.
Family and friends gathered at Alexander and Coleman where the deadly accident happened.
“He was a great guy. He was one of my best friends and he would always make you laugh and cheer you up if you were ever sad or anything,” said Jazmine Mejia, Davila's friend.
Friends say Davila was a hero in his final moments because he pushed his young nephew out of the car's path. Many are now calling for a change. Saying something must be done about the road since so many students take it to school and there is not enough there to protect them or make drivers slow down.
“This is too much and we need justice for my son because they have to do something they have to do something about the streets, because this is ridiculous,” said Irving Davila, victim's father.
“I think that it is ridiculous. They've got no reason to be driving that fast. It is a school zone so it should be pretty slow and apparently they were ignoring it,” said Bridgette Morales, Davila's friend.
Many of the students who gathered Monday night say too many drivers speed down the street and during school it's no better. One loss is already too much for them and they now want a crossing guard during school hours to keep them safe. They are also calling for a crosswalk and a stop sign to be put up.
Davila's father told Eyewitness News that he was planning to take his son to live with him in New York this week and now he will never get that chance.
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A part of the problem is not just the drivers, but the kids as well. Yesterday a bunch of teens thought it would be funny to lie down in the middle of a side street. When I honked, after sitting idle for a minute, the teens procede to show me their middle fingers, and yell at me. At that point I wanted to floor it just to get out of there no matter who was in front of my car.
Parents need to teach their children street smarts and respect. The city needs to make bicycle lanes and post officers near school zones to hand out tickets. Its a joint effort between the city, the kids, the parents and the drivers.
I also feel that highschool students have no business driving to school (driving age should be put to 18). When school lets out the last place an experienced driver wants to be is near a school. High school students in general are rude, drive fast, listen to load music, don’t fully stop at stop signs, and are aggressive drivers. It would cut down on the traffic around schools, and perhaps the teens woudl learned to appreciate cars and driving and not consider it something cool.
In big cities if a kid is on a bike they are usually allowed on the side walk when there is no bike lane. We should allow the same thing, especially with the way people drive in this city.
Also tell your kids to stop walking in the streets instead of the sidewalk. They will get hit if they walk in the street. The sidewalks are there for a reason.
Comment by Rebecca — September 8, 2008 @ 8:03 pm