LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Families could see what was unseen and hear what was unheard, the impact of the victims too well loved to be forgotten.
The names of 90 mothers, fathers and children killed on Southern Nevada roadways were honored Friday night at the Nevada Highway Patrol Southern Command during a candlelight vigil.
“Know that your loved one’s legacies are forever enshrined in our hearts and our actions,” Lieutenant Colonel Martin Mleczko said. “They drive us to push harder to reach further and never relent in our quest for a safer Nevada.”
Since 2017 the Nevada State Police, formerly known as Nevada Highway Patrol, have held vigils for victims’ families to grieve and remember the legacy of their loved ones as candles are lit one by one as names are read out aloud to families.
“Let these candles be held high not as a symbol of loss but as a beacon of hope, resilience and unwavering commitment,” Mleczko said.
At the vigil site, Andrea Raney held up the photo of her granddaughter Jaya Brooks, 3, who was killed in a Dec. 2023 crash caused by a wrong-way driver.
“Jaya was just, love,” she said.
Since the crash, Raney has started Jaya’s Light Children’s Foundation to supply clothing for children in hospitals and other facilities, in honor of Jaya.
“Jaya was like a glue that brought so many people together, if she didn’t know you, you were still her best friend,” Raney said. “She was just a light, and she was just love and she was just a ball of energy.”
Raney told 8 News Now that Las Vegas drivers need to slow down and consider their actions which could devastate a family; encouraging people to stop anyone they know who may make the worst decision of their life.
“It impacts so many people for so long, so please if you see something say something,” she said.
Ellen Viola attended the first NSP event eight years ago when she lost a loved one and returned Friday to offer grief counseling for victims’ families.
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