Southern Nevada honors crash victims on World Day of Remembrance

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Sunday was International World Day of Remembrance, designated by the World Health Organization as a day to remember lives lost on the roads and share their stories to prevent future tragedies.

This weekend, an event at Silverado Ranch Community Center was held to honor valley crash victims and first responders.

“To acknowledge people’s lives that have been forever changed by a road crash, and to honor emergency responders who respond to those crashes,” said Erin Breen, Director of the Road Equity Alliance Project at UNLV.

The event included a Ride of Silence and a candlelight memorial, with moving tributes to the lives lost and forever changed by crashes.

One attendee, Vanessa Aguilar, shared her sister’s story with FOX5, “Savannah Aguilar was my younger sister. She was 22 in 2017, and on July 5, a guy ran a red light and took her life, killing her almost instantly.”

Savannah’s family continues to share her story, hoping to prevent others from feeling their pain.

“We just want to remind people to think twice about taking lives and speeding and driving recklessly, because most of the time when that happens, it’s the innocent person who ends up passing away,” said Vanessa.

Organizers of the Day of Remembrance say this reminder is needed now more than ever in Southern Nevada, as the number of deaths on local roads continues to rise.

“Right now in Southern Nevada, every mode of travel except for motor vehicle occupants has already surpassed 2023 numbers. More pedestrians, more bicyclists, more motorcyclists are being killed than all of last year,” said Breen.

This message comes just in time to save lives, as the holiday season approaches — which Breen says is historically the most dangerous time of year on the roads.

The event also honored the police, fire, ambulance, and tow truck drivers who responded to every crash. This year, World Day of Remembrance kicks off Emergency Responder Week, which runs through November 24.

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