A Naperville 22-year-old's dash outside with her beloved dog ends in tragedy

Tim Driscoll tries to resist the desolation that comes thinking about daughter Emily's "sad and wasteful" death.

The vivacious redhead was one semester away from obtaining a degree as a surgical nurse when she was hit by a car and killed while walking her dog in Naperville.

Emily had a sharp wit and a kind heart, Tim Driscoll recalled. She delighted in watching horror movies, the gorier the better, but dreamed of saving lives.

He called her "kid," and bought his thrill-loving child a tarantula. A box turtle followed but Emily was determined to get a dog. When the day came, she adopted a rescue.

Quincy, a one-time racing greyhound with melting eyes who "had a way of leaning into your body," found a new life with Emily and the Driscolls.

Photos and videos show Quincy traveling with Emily in her car, wearing Halloween outfits and sporting a big dog grin. "She took that dog everywhere," Driscoll said.

The night of the accident in November 2014, Emily was late coming home from her job at Sky High Jump. When her father asked why, she explained she'd been cleaning toilets. "I kiddingly said, 'Why are you doing that - you're a manager?'" he recalled.

Emily dashed out with a delighted Quincy. As they crossed Book Road in south Naperville, a car driven by a 74-year-old man blew a red light, crashing into Emily and Quincy.

"You want to put your kids in a bubble," Driscoll said. But Emily was 22 - way past the age for a parent to hold her hand.

The crash occurred Nov. 9, 2014. Every ninth day of the month brings pain to her parents and it doesn't stop there. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Holidays.

"It's a gnawing feeling," Driscoll said. "A numbness. There are always reminders."