On a Thursday night near 36th Street and 19th Avenue in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood, a moment changed everything for the Hill and Carranza families. Nine-year-old Avianna Hill was riding a minibike with her father, Preston, when a car hit them. Avianna didn’t survive. Preston remains in the ICU fighting for his life, trying to process what happened.
The details that emerge from her family paint a picture of a kid who genuinely loved being a kid. Avianna loved school—she’d say it herself:“I love school. I want to go to school.”She played sports, she played Roblox, she played outside. She was smart, funny, confident, and full of energy. Her mother, Bianca Carranza, calls her“my angel.”Her grandmother describes her as“the light of everybody’s eyes.”
A memorial now sits at the crash site—notes from friends, stuffed animals, candles, photographs. It’s where the community has gathered to honor a girl who was just beginning her life.
The driver fled the scene. Police later arrested 30-year-old Miracle Merritt on felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges. Merritt was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. For Avianna’s family, that courtroom appearance can’t change what’s already been lost or undo the trauma Preston continues to endure in his hospital bed.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with funeral costs and medical expenses—a small practical gesture in the face of something that defies comprehension. The family is grieving. The community is grieving. And a girl who loved life, who loved school, who had so much ahead of her, is gone.
This is the kind of story that haunts a city. It’s a reminder that safety on our streets matters—that how we drive, how we treat each other on the road, has real consequences for real families.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
