5-Year-Old Girl Hit and Killed by Truck the Day After Christmas as She Crossed the Street with Her Mother
Ariyah Marie Elias was with her mother and several other children when she was fatally hit by a truck in Mesa, Arizona
Ariyah Marie Elias was with her mother and several other children when she was fatally hit by a truck in Mesa, Arizona
A 5-year-old girl died in an accident just after Christmas.
Ariyah Marie Elias was hit by a truck as she was crossing a road in Mesa, Ariz., on Dec. 26, local station 12 News reported.
Related: Body of Teen Who Went Missing with Brother During Duck Hunting Trip Found, Brother Remains Missing
The child crossed at the intersection of East Guadalupe and South Hawes Road with her mother Alora Silva and five other neighborhood children. The traffic light had changed while they were crossing, local police said, when the truck hit Ariyah.
First responders took "lifesaving measures" on the scene of the accident, but the child later died at the local Banner Desert Hospital, the outlet reported.
"When she got hit, it spun her around," said her father Jordan Elias.
The Mesa Police Department has not revealed the identity of the driver, who reported that they did not see the group crossing the street until it was too late to stop. The investigation is ongoing, the local outlet reported, and no charges have been filed as of Dec. 30.
Elias and Silva said their daughter had turned 5 on Nov. 26, exactly one month before her death.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ariyah still had unopened presents under the family's Christmas tree, Silva said.
"I don't wish this on my worst enemies," Silva said. "This is the worst thing anyone could possibly go through."
Ariyah's family has set up a GoFundMe to help with the cost of her funeral.