TAYLORSVILLE - As trick-or-treaters head out Monday night in Taylorsville, they'll be a little safer thanks to the efforts of the Hillman family.
A new light-up crosswalk was recently installed, and Halloween marks one year after 14-year-old Victoria Hillman was hit and killed by a vehicle while in a crosswalk near 2700 West and 5900 South
"It's very special to get that updated," Chris Hillman, Victoria's father, said.
Victoria Hillman
The teen was participating in the annual Halloween tradition when tragedy struck.
"She was trick-or-treating with her two best friends," Hillman said. "They were on a crosswalk, and a van came through and plowed through her."
Victoria died on scene within minutes. The driver of the van was later cited with a traffic ticket, a result the Hillmans were less than pleased with.
"There's still a bit of anger there," Hillman said.
He said their family thinks the driver was given leniency because the driver's brother works for Unified Police Department. Still, the family has now set their sights on making a difference in Victoria's name.
Loved ones mourn Victoria Hillman at the scene of a fatal auto-pedestrian crash that occurred on Halloween 2015.
"We helped start an online petition to get crosswalk lights installed," Hillman said of the recent changes at 2700 West and 5930 South.
These days those light-up signs can be found in a number of locations.
"One of the things that we hoped for was for the school districts to turn on their 20 mile-per-hour lights [on Halloween], so that everyone would be aware that kids are running around and it's dark," Hillman said.
That's an idea that school districts in the area have not implemented yet.
Hillman said this Halloween will be tough, but the family plans to go trick-or-treating with their children.
"It's what Victoria would have wanted," he said.
Several police departments took to social media, warning drivers to be aware of trick-or-treaters during Halloween weekend. See below for some tips from St. George PD.
