A security guard was struck and killed in a hit-and-run incident at Grand Valley State University’s Valley Campus in Allendale on Friday, October 16. The crash occured at 1:15 a.m. and 18-year-old Grand Valley State University student Jaisten Thomas was the alleged driver.
Debra Smith, 69, was a 30-year veteran of DK Security. She was working as a third-party contractor at the Allendale campus and was assigned to traffic control. According to a witness, a westbound Sedan struck Smith before driving off.
Around 3:00 a.m., officers found the car in question at a Taco Bell. The vehicle had sustained damage consistent with the crash, such as a dent in the hood and a crack in the windshield. The crack contained strands of fair-colored hair, matching Smith’s.
According to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Smith had been in the process of turning away a different, unauthorized vehicle at an access control checkpoint when the incident occurred.
“Some people are just such a big part of your life, your family, and your everyday moments that it’s hard to imagine a world without them,” her obituary reads. “Debby was one of those people.”
The family has requested that lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.