THE heartbroken family of a "loving and popular" Wrexham teenager has urged young motorists not to drink and drive.
Abby Hill died in July 2021 after the car she was travelling in as a passenger crashed at Berwyn, Llangollen.
Its driver, 26-year-old Marcus Pasley of Llantysilio, was jailed at the end of July for two years and four months after admitting causing her death through careless driving while unfit through drink.
Abby's mum Julie Evans and sister Gemma Hill, with whom 19-year-old Abby lived in Plas Madoc along with her father Ken, spoke to the Leader after the sentencing.
Gemma, 27, worked with Abby at the Chainbridge Hotel - both being waitresses.
She said: "She used to hate all that kind of thing (waitressing), but then I said come and work with me. She loved it then.
"She was very popular, and hard not to like."
Julie, 54, said her daughter was a keen gamer who loved animals (particularly giraffes) and enjoyed spending time with her friends.
She said the family received an outpouring of support from the community following the collision, explaining: "We had so many cards and flowers - the house was inundated.
"I even had buckets out in the garden to hold all of the flowers. Abby loved flowers - she'd always have them."
Abby went to primary school in Acrefair and then went to Ysgol Dinas Bran, before going on to study beauty and working at the Chainbridge.
Gemma added: "She was a loving person, and she was only just starting to flee the nest and come out of her shell.
"When she turned 18, I said right - you're coming out with me now.
"And she was starting to become more confident.
READ MORE: Tributes paid to 'hard-working' young woman after Llangollen collision
"We'd go out everywhere - to the shops, days out, for a meal, and she'd always be my first choice.
"She was very easy going and up for a laugh.
"There were so many things she should have done which she didn't; getting a passport, passing her driving test.
"I was very protective of her."
At the sentencing of Marcus Pasley, Mold Crown Court heard Abby hadn't been wearing a seatbelt on the night of the collision - and Pasley had consumed at least six pints of lager, on top of two glasses of wine.
She and Gemma recalled the heart-stopping moment they were called by a friend to tell them Abby had been in the collision.
Gemma said: "We're all traumatised. We saw it from the beginning.
"We drove down there and got to the scene, saw where the car was, and where she was - way down the road."
The family is imploring young people not to drink-drive, as well as ensuring they follow basic safety measures such as seatbelt use.
Gemma said: "For me, it's the driver's responsibility to make sure everyone has their belt on.
"If I was driving and something happened and I killed someone, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
"And I think alcohol should be zero tolerance - no drink at all. Then your conscience is clear.
"I get that young people want to have a drink but you could kill yourself, or another family."
Speaking of the sentence Pasley received, Gemma said: "It has given me a little bit of closure, but the sentence he got isn't enough.
"He's going to be locked up for a little bit now, but we don't feel we've had justice."
Since the incident Ken, Julie and Gemma all got matching giraffe tattoos in memory of Abby.
Gemma added she and her family are to mark what would have been Abby's 21st birthday in October with a balloon release.
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