Grieving Hopewell family continues offering pedestrian safety help after 10 deadly incidents

HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) -- A grieving family continues to help to attempt to prevent deadly crashes in the greater Richmond area, on the heels of ten deadly crashes within a month between Richmond, the Glen Allen area in Henrico County and the Meadowbrook neighborhood in Chesterfield County.

Loved ones and family members still mourn Hopewell teen Devin Pulver, after he was hit and killed by a pick-up truck while riding his skateboard on the night of Oct. 30, 2024, on Prince George Drive.

"It's hard," said Pulver's mother, Helen Shinault. "It's hard. Everyday is hard."

"The grief is something you will carry with you 'til you 'go,'" said Pulver's aunt, Sonya Duer.

That crash, which happened at the Hopewell-Prince George County line, sparked the Operation Reflect movement, where loved ones and family members voluntarily give out reflective vests for people to wear when it's dark outside.

"We want to keep people from being statistics," Duer said. "We don't want to see another family go through what we've gone through in the last year."

Operation Reflect is an effort to change the narrative and raise awareness about wearing reflective gear when it's dark outside, especially after the nearly dozen of deadly pedestrian incidents happening in Central Virginia this month.

Since October 2024, the family has distributed 100 reflective vests, primarily to those walking out at night.

Shinault and Duer believe reflective gear could have prevented past tragedies, including Pulver's accident.

"If they had reflective gear on, would they have been hit," Shinault asked. "That's my thing."

The family members invited other volunteers to join their mission in giving out reflective gear, hoping the Operation Reflect program will grow to other chapters and across the states.

They said they're looking forward to working with schools and churches regarding reflective wear use.

"Through Devin's death, we have to give our life purpose, and we have to give his life purpose," Duer said.