HOT SPRINGS, Ark – A central Arkansas family is calling for change after their loved one was hit and killed while crossing the street near Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs.

Oaklawn was a typical weekend getaway for the Givens family.

On December 18, Jason Givens took his daughter, Reece, and some friends to the track, celebrating their first few moments of winter break.

“Being at the track, watching the horses and being at the casino. It was a really good day, until it wasn’t,” Reece Givens said.

Like a sudden stop light, the day came to a halt.

“We knew that whoever it was, wasn’t going to survive,” Reece said.

Reece was waiting for her dad at a bar across the street when suddenly, traffic piled up and the sound of ambulances rang in.

Moments later, Reece would find out her father, Jason Givens, had been hit and killed while trying to cross the street.

“I instantly kind of fell to my knees and started screaming,” Reece Givens said.

Since 2015, the Arkansas Department of Transportation has recorded 17 non-motor related accidents along Highway 7 between Golf Links Rd. and Trivesta Street.

The Givens family says that’s 17 too many.

“If we could put a man on the moon then something can be done there,” Jason’s brother Mark Givens said.

The Givens family said they want to make a change, asking the state to build a skywalk or tunnel to make the path safer for pedestrians.

“It’s just been hard to find anything positive and this is the only thing,” Mark Givens said.

As the days pass, more will cross the street near Oaklawn. The Givens family is hoping with a change, a day at the races won’t end in darkness.

“I am fighting for this so that no one else has to lose their dad, family, or friend,” Reece Givens said.

Since Highway 7 is owned by the state, ARDOT would be the ones to build any sort of bridge.

ARDOT spokesperson Dave Parker said that they are working to find improvements to pedestrian safety at Oaklawn.

“We are aware of a possible problem at this location,” Parker said.  “We recently started studying what improvements and or countermeasures could be taken for the area in front of Oaklawn to improve pedestrian safety.”