(Lexington County) - She started at the Citgo station on Highway 6, just like she did on so many other evenings. She turned left out of the gas station where her mom worked to make the short walk home.
But one year ago, 16 year-old Miranda Ritch never finished her walk. Her life ended alongside Highway 6 when a car tried to pass on the left side of the highway, hitting her in the process.
“She was a very sweet girl,” said her mother Robin Hall. “She didn't care who you were, she'd say 'hey,' and then smile. She was gonna make you smile."
Naturally, it has been a year of unthinkable sadness for Robin. But since the accident, she's grown angry, too.
Robin believes the driver of the car that killed her daughter deserves more than a traffic ticket. The driver’s name is Marcus Giddens. His lawyer tells us that Giddens was given a ticket for passing at a solid yellow line.
So far, that has been his punishment.
“We don't want this to happen to someone else's family and not have justice served," said Miranda’s sister Tiffany Weaver.
So Tiffany, her mom, and their friends and family gathered at the gas station. They prayed, they lit candles. Then, they walked the same route Miranda did the night she was killed.
It's their way of reminding people what happened, and their way of saying that justice was not served.
“It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do,” said Robin, with tears welling up in her eyes. “I don't wish that on anybody. Nobody should have to go through (the death of a child). A big part of me is gone over somebody's choice.”
If you’re wondering why Giddens only got a ticket for the accident, Miranda's family lawyers tell us it's inconclusive whether Giddens' car was actually off the road when she was hit.
But the Ritch family lawyers also say they've filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Marcus Giddens and Crusader Management of South Carolina, his company at the time.
We contacted Gidden's lawyer, Ron Diegel, by phone. Mr. Diegel confirmed the lawsuite is pending, but otherwise had no comment.