High schooler killed in hit-and-run crash remembered at vigil in Bartow

BARTOW, Fla. — The Bartow community came together Saturday night for a candlelight vigil in honor of high school student Zachariah Clabough, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash.

Clabough was just 18 years old. His sister, Dakota Runyon, said they never thought he would be taken from them at such a young age. 

“Seeing as so many people have come to remember him, it’s really special,” she said.

Runyon said the love and support from everyone means the world, but they also want to make sure something like this never happens again.

She said they’ve started a petition to install speed bumps in the area where her brother was hit and it has already gathered more than 600 signatures. 

 “He was just trying to make it to school, and for whatever reason, it happened, but I think a big part of it is if there was a sidewalk all the way down, he wouldn’t have to cross the street to get where he needs to go,” she said. 

Runyon is confident this will change things for the better, and she hopes people understand the kind soul that her brother is and the impact he’s left not just on her, but every single person he’s met. 

“I could have never imagined how many people would have come and how many people loved him and cared for him, and how many people miss him and how upset it has made this community,” she said.

The driver who hit Clabough was later located and arrested.

Clabough was the third person to be killed in a hit-and-run crash in Polk County within a week. 

This isn’t the first time Clabough’s family has faced tragedy. 

His father was killed about three-and-a-half years ago by a drunk driver while standing at a gas station.