14-year-old Durham girl hit, killed by car while trick-or-treating

A Durham girl was killed in Guilford County on Halloween night while she was trick-or-treating.

Aliyah Thornhill, 14, was walking in a residential area at around 7 p.m. in Oak Ridge when she and another girl were hit by an SUV. Thornhill's mother said she attended Riverside Middle School in Durham and Northwest Middle School in the Triad.

Ayonna Suttles told WXII she and her daughter are from Ohio, but moved to Durham 12 years ago.

"She was like so funny, animated, and I called her my roll-dog. Wherever I went, she was there right with me," Suttles said.

But it wasn't just her personality that made Thornhill stand out.

Suttles said her daughter was very talented. She said Thornhill played the piano, violin, danced, and acted.

"Her confidence was on ten," her mother said. "She helped me become a better mom."

The second teen was also hurt in the crash but will survive her injuries, police said.

The driver of the SUV stayed at the scene after the crash.

The biggest threat for children on Halloween is being hit by a car. According to a study published in 2019 by JAMA Pediatrics, the average Halloween night resulted in four additional pedestrian deaths.

Specifically, for children ages 4 to 8, the chance of being hit and killed by a car was 10 times higher on Halloween.