Families, friends share memories at Las Vegas’ first World Day of Remembrance

Tina LaVoie laid her head on her husband’s shoulder as the first few lines of “I’ll Be Seeing You” rang through the chapel at Palm Mortuary downtown.

He wrapped an arm around her and their surviving daughter, Abby, as the singer continued.

“I’ll be seeing you in every lovely summer’s day, in everything that’s light and gay, I’ll always think of you that way.”

Their oldest daughter, Hillary LaVoie, died in 2010 after she was ejected from her friend’s vehicle during a crash and killed instantly. She was returning to Las Vegas after dropping off her high school transcripts at the University of Nevada, Reno. She was 18 years and 18 days old.

The LaVoies were one of several families that gathered Sunday at the mortuary, 1325 N. Main St., to share stories and meet others whose lives had been affected by traffic fatalities for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

The remembrance day has been observed around the globe for the last nine years, but this was the first year Las Vegas had a memorial service to honor the day.

In 2015, 265 people died in traffic-related incidents in Nevada. The statewide number so far in 2016 is 272 fatalities.

This year, 194 people have died in traffic-related incidents around the Las Vegas Valley, said Erin Breen, director of UNLV’s Vulnerable Road Users Project.

“I don’t know that there’s a worse time of year (than the holiday season) to lose a loved one in a traffic crash,” Breen said.

Forty of this year’s fatal crashes in the valley have involved pedestrians; by this time last year, there had been 32 pedestrian deaths.

An artist on site decorated ornaments with the names of people who died in car crashes. Family members and friends stepped up and talked about the crashes that killed their loved ones before hanging the ornaments on a tree at the front of the chapel. Breen, who lost a close friend, was among them.

“I’ve always called this the club that no one wants to be in,” Breen said.

Breen and state Sen. Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, urged attendees to support legislation that could help protect pedestrians and improve public safety statewide.

“We cannot have another year like we did last year between holidays. We just can’t,” Manendo said. “We are going to be aggressive again next session.”

Breen said programs such as the Vulnerable Road Users Project, Drive Save Nevada and the Vision Zero Network have succeeded in other cities nationwide and could make a difference locally.

After their daughter’s death, Brian and Tina LaVoie began speaking at schools to help teach teens safe driving habits. They sometimes partner with safe driving programs, but do most of their activism on their own.

“It’s the difference between calling a tow truck and calling the coroner,” Tina LaVoie said.

Hillary’s favorite saying was, “Life is an occasion, rise to it.” Her parents have been living by that motto through their healing process.

“The worst thing that could possibly happen to us has already happened,” Tina LaVoie said, “so we don’t stress out about the small stuff anymore.”

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.