WARREN, Mich. – A Warren family is grieving after a 13-year-old girl was hit and killed while crossing the street.
The accident happened Friday night on Van Dyke at Studebaker Avenue.
Alicia Gardner was crossing Van Dyke when she was hit by a car. Family members told Local 4 News that the driver stopped after he realized he had hit the teen.
PHOTOS: Alicia Gardner
Gardner died of her injuries early Saturday.
Warren Mayor Jim Fouts told Local 4 News the driver was not at fault in the accident and that the teenager was not in a crosswalk.
Grieving grandparents are opening up about the pain of losing their granddaughter.
"She was more like that blessing you need every morning. She always went to sleep saying, 'I love you. I'll see you in the morning,'" said Gardner's grandfather, Keith Tillman.
Friday night, Gardner had just left her eighth-grade dance. As she tried crossing four lanes of traffic on busy Van Dyke near Studebaker Avenue with her mother, a truck hit her.
"In the middle of road is where she was supposedly had gotten hit, but the guy did stop," said Gardner's aunt, Christine Gardner.
The driver was not cited. The investigation reveals the mother and daughter were not crossing in the crosswalk and the driver simply didn't see the victim.
Alicia Gardner's mother held her daughter in middle of street until help arrived. The 13-year-old died at the hospital.
Parents brought their children to the accident site. Many were Alicia Gardner's classmates. They lit candles and reflected on the young life gone in an instant.
"It's unbelievable that she's gone," Tillman said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up, which can be found here.