Riley Rawlins
A Lake Highlands family suffered a great loss on Saturday January 9 when they lost their only son to a speeding driver who struck him as he was crossing the street on his way to meet friends at near-by Sonic restaurant.
Riley Rawlins was a 17 year-old junior at Lake Highlands high school and a proud member of ROTC. A Boy Scout and marine-in-the-making, Riley left behind many devastated friends and family members.
His funeral was this past Saturday, and Sparkman Funeral Home was overflowing with mourners who came to honor his memory. To celebrate Riley’s love of animals and the outdoors, the family has requested that all memorials be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Dallas’ East Lake Pet Orphanage.
As the Rawlins family honors the legacy of their young son, they are also battling their frustrations with the manner of his death. Riley’s mother Monica Rawlins has said, “my grief is only matched by my anger, it’s so senseless.”
Riley was killed by an unlicensed and uninsured driver who had just run a red light. The young driver was going 70 miles an hour when she hit Riley. The driver told police that she was late for work. “Just because she was late to work, she took a life,” Riley’s great aunt Glenda Gibbons told The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas Police Department has yet to disclose the driver’s name or to make an arrest. It is unclear whether or not she will face criminal charges.
