DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Charges are pending for a driver who hit and killed a girl while she was walking to the bus stop with her mother.
The crash happened at Rays Road and Central Drive in DeKalb County. The mother, Dawt Chin Sung, was holding Tluang Tha Men, 8, in her arms when the car struck them.
Friends and relatives told Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes they're still in shock.
“Everyone is praying for them,” a friend said, asking not to be identified.
Close friends and relatives of Tluang gathered at the little girl’s home in Stone Mountain after they heard the horrible news.
“They hit them at the bus stop,” the friend told Fernandes.
Authorities said Sung was carrying her little girl to a bus stop at the corner of Rays Road and Central Drive, which is very close to their home.
TRENDING STORIES:
- First Lady Sandra Deal takes brave step in fight against breast cancer
- Middle school student arrested for social media threats
- TIMELINE: Gunman fired into 5 classrooms, went to McDonald's after rampage
Police said they were walking in a crosswalk when a female driver hit them.
Witnesses told police the bus driver put out the stop sign arm but the driver went through the green light at the intersection anyway.
The little girl was killed. Her mother has a serious hip injury.
Investigators told Fernandes they have to recreate the scene and decide if they’re going to charge the driver with a crime or not.
The driver’s relatives told Fernandes that the mother and daughter were not walking in the crosswalk.
“When the accident happened, the lady, she’s not crossing in the crosswalk, she cross in the road,” the driver’s cousin Lung Thawng said.
Police will have the final say on it and the victim’s relatives said they’ll hold their judgment in this case pending the outcome of the investigation.
“If the stop sign was up and hit her, that’s a different story. But if the bus stop wasn’t there, I don’t know what to say about that,” the friend told Fernandes.
Relatives told Fernandes that the 8-year-old victim leaves behind three sisters, one of whom is a newborn.
Breaking News: The 8 y/o girl who was hit by a car while crossing the street with her Mom in Dekalb County has just died.
— Tyisha Fernandes (@TyishaWSB) February 16, 2018
Witnesses say the mother was holding her daughter, when the two were hit, crossing the street to the bus stop. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/WqXXxbfGgU
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) February 16, 2018
Getting new details, RIGHT NOW from the scene of child and mother hit by car, DeKalb County.@wsbtv pic.twitter.com/aPYUGxtxJ0
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) February 16, 2018
DeKalb PD: 8 year old girl, struck by vehicle while crossing street to get on school bus. She is in critical condition. Mother was struck as well with moderate injuries. Both transported to the hospital. The driver is still at the scene. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/5NP5heaJkx
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) February 16, 2018
#TRAVELADVISORY DeKalb Co: Multiple people hit by a vehicle on Central Dr at Rays. Rd. All lanes shutdown on Central Dr for an investigation. Please avoid this area. #ATLtraffic pic.twitter.com/HQspbpRvLA
— Triple Team Traffic (@WSBTraffic) February 16, 2018
On my way to #BREAKING news!
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) February 16, 2018
I'll have the details, as soon as I get on scene. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/18DD6wl2a9
Cox Media Group
