PONTIAC, Mich. – The mother of a 20-month-old girl who was hit by a neighbor backing out of a driveway spoke with Local 4 about what happened and the toddler's condition.
Danielle McDonald-Culberson said she's living in a nightmare from which she can't wake up.
"I need her," McDonald-Culberson said. "If she can't make it, I don't want to make it. I am not holding it together. I am unraveling."
Her daughter, Eliana, is at Beaumont Royal Oak Hospital in critical condition with severe head and brain injuries.
UPDATE: Eliana has died due to her injuries, her mother says
McDonald-Culberson said she went outside to put air in her flat tire Wednesday morning and decided to bring Eliana with her.
In an instant, Eliana was walking a few feet down the sidewalk in front of the home while her mother's back was turned. A neighbor driving an SUV accidentally backed over her.
McDonald-Culberson said her daughter's injuries are devastating, including irreversible brain damage.
"I wish I had it to do over again for that one minute," she said.
McDonald-Culberson said she knows she could lost her baby at any moment. She sits by her side and talks to her.
"Come back to me," McDonald-Culberson said. "Fight. I need her. I love her. Mommy is crying for her."
Click here to visit the GoFundMe page for Eliana.
You can watch Shawn Ley's full story in the video posted above.