DALLAS - The death of 17-year-old Riley Rawlins was shocking.
"Knowing that I'm never going to hear his voice again or see him is very hard," said Monica Rawlins, the mother of the Lake Highlands High junior.
The details are too much for any mother to bear.
"She hit him right in the middle of the car and he flew up - hit the roof of her car - and she carried him on the car [for more than] 170 feet, at which point he fell off and he struck the curb, and was dragged another 30 something feet," she said.
The accident happened at 3:00 p.m. while he was crossing the street at Royal and Audelia in Dallas on Jan. 7 - nearly three weeks ago.
The Lake Highlands High junior was walking with friends to grab a burger at a nearby Sonic. Those friends are having trouble sleeping ever since the accident occurred.
"All his friends were there at the accident scene and for them to even witness it is horrible enough for those poor kids," said Riley's step-dad Chris Buntenbah.
The Dallas police report states the driver was trying to beat a yellow light. That uninsured driver also told the officer she was going 70 miles per hour west bound on Royal Lane. The speed limit is 35 miles per hour.
Today, Dallas police say they will charge the suspect with criminally negligent homicide, but so far there's been no arrest. It's especially upsetting to Riley's parents, since the police report also states the driver said she didn't have a driver's license at the time of the accident.
"The fact that she wasn't arrested at the scene doesn't make sense to me," Monica Rawlins said.
Dallas police say accident investigators had to interview the witnesses and the suspect, and determine the speed of the driver. Now, the criminally negligent homicide charge is being filed at the Dallas County District Attorney's office.
The name of the driver will not be made public until an arrest warrant affidavit is issued.
Riley's family prays for justice.
"Riley lived... He lived three hours after she struck him, [but] he never regained consciousness," his mother said. "Hopefully, he was completely unaware of what happened to him."
Monica Rawlins said her only son planned to enlist in the Marine Corps when he graduated high school. She only wishes he could have fulfilled his dreams, since he had so much promise.
E-mail ddenmon@wfaa.com
