Girl dies, another in critical condition after being hit by a car in Glendale, PD says
GLENDALE, Ariz. - A girl died, and her sister is in critical condition after being hit by a car in Glendale on Friday night.
The crash happened mid-block, police say, near 59th Avenue and Greenway Road on Sept. 13 around 9:20 p.m.
On Sept. 16, police said that the girls, Kaliyah Reyes, 12, and Delilah Marquez, 14, were in extremely critical condition. On Sept. 17, the family said Kaliyah had died the night before.
"Kaliyah’s heart stopped at 10:30 pm, after her organs started shutting down. The decision was made to remove her life-support shortly after," her family told FOX 10.
Police say the driver who hit them cooperated with the investigation.
"The driver stayed on the scene and was cooperative. There was no signs of any impairment and no charges are expected in this case. It is believed the juveniles crossed mid-street outside of the crosswalk," Glendale Police said three days after the crash.
Loved ones say the girls were walking home after watching football.
Family and friends of the two sisters held a prayer circle right on Sept. 16. Candles were lit in their honor, and the sidewalk was covered in chalk, sharing messages written to the young girls.
"Life can change in the blink of an eye. We all know that we do our best to protect our children. We try our hardest, and sometimes, no matter how hard we try, it's just some things we can't change," said Frank Madrid, their uncle.
The two sisters were recently reunited. Kaliyah moved to Arizona from California to live with her dad and start a new chapter.
"It was the happiest time of her life. We can honestly say that. One thing is for sure, they had a bond. They finally got together. They were together, and they started having the time of their lives," Madrid said.
The girls were a block away from home when they were struck.
"She's fighting for her life," Delilah's cousin, Rebecca, said.
Delilah has spent the last few days in a coma and is now waking up. The family said Kaliyah was on life support for days before she passed away.
"We saw them in the room and we just, like, went to the floor," Cassandra Marquez said. "We can't see our cousins like that."
"Two beautiful girls. Their lives barely started. 14 and 12 years old," Madrid said.
The family is urging Valley drivers to slow down, so tragedies like this become less frequent.
"You end up in a rush, things like this happen and families are devastated, ruined forever," Madrid said.
The girls' friends and family were, of course, devastated at the candle-lit prayer vigil. They're praying for a miracle.