A family is seeking justice for their 5-year-old daughter after she was killed by a vehicle as she crossed the street the day after Christmas.
Ariyah Marie Elias, 5, was crossing at the intersection of East Guadalupe Road and South Hawes Road in Mesa, Arizona, when she was fatally hit by a truck on December 26, Mesa Police said.
The child was crossing the street with her mother, Alora Silva, and five other kids in the neighborhood when the crash happened.
The traffic light changed when the group was making their way across the street. A truck heading west on Guadalupe “proceeded through the intersection on a green light and struck the child,” police told The Independent in a statement.
The driver reported not seeing the group until entering the intersection, and by then, it was too late, and the driver was unable to stop, police said.
Officers immediately tried performing lifesaving measures on the child at the scene, but they were unsuccessful. The victim was pronounced deceased at Banner Desert Hospital.
No other pedestrians were injured, authorities said.
“We understand this is a heartbreaking incident for the community, and our thoughts are with the family and everyone impacted,” Mesa Police said.
No one has been arrested or charged in connection with the incident, but the investigation is still ongoing, authorities said.
The little girl’s family said they hope to hold the driver to account.
“I want some answers. I want justice for my daughter,” Silva said. “She did not deserve to go.”
Silva told 12 News that her daughter had turned five-years-old exactly one month before the tragedy. The little girl still had presents to open under her family’s Christmas tree, she said.
“I don’t wish this on my worst enemies. This is the worst thing anyone could possibly go through,” Silva said.
She said she feels “guilty” over her daughter’s death.
“I feel like I ruined not just my daughter’s life, but also these other children’s [lives] who had to witness this that aren’t my children,” she said.
Elias’ family launched a GoFundMe page to cover funeral expenses.
“What happened on that wide stretch of road, with the lights changing and the world spinning out of control, wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right. No words can or will ever fix this, and no justice can or will ever even the scales,” the fundraiser says. “All we know is that our love for Ariyah is still as clear as the sun, and even through this nightmare, she’s still perfect, she’s still ours, and our love for her will never fade.”
