Community gather to honor father and daughter killed in Waterford crash

WATERFORD, Mich. - "You don't need to know someone personally, to care for someone," Katie Drypen said." It affected everybody's life."

It was a horrible car crash, exactly one month ago, that claimed the life of 6-year-old Riley Melanshek, when a drunk driver crashed into the car she was riding in. 

Riley and her dad, Nick, was in the SUV. They had stopped at a traffic light on M-59 in Waterford right before the crash. A few days later, Nick also died from his injuries. 

On Saturday, the Waterford community gathered together to honor the father and daughter. 

"I didn't know these people, but I feel very sad about what's happened to them and I just wanted to show my support for the survivors," said community member Donna Wall. 

Chrissy White fondly remembers how kind Nick and Riley were to her daughter, Audrey. 

"He saw Audrey was upset and he nudged her to hold Audrey's hand and it was just so touching," Chrissy said. 

Chrissy shared that sweet story of the simple gesture that not only touched her heart, but everyone else's. 

"It just shows that there's a good spirit in the human nature," Donna said. "It just touches my heart to know that."