LIVONIA, Mich. – A family’s evening at a Livonia festival ended in tragedy when a hit-and-run driver struck three pedestrians, killing a 3-year-old boy and critically injuring his mother and twin sister.
The incident occurred Sunday, (June 29) night as the family was crossing at the intersection of Merriman Road and Lyndon after attending the Livonia Spree.
Khalil, one of the 3-year-old twins, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
His mother, Tia, remains in a medically induced coma at St. Joseph Mercy Health System, while his twin sister Khloe is reported to be awake and alert.
“This is hard. I don’t know how I’m going to get through. It is just too much,” said Regina Robinson, grandmother of the twins and Tia’s mother.
The family has requested that medical staff not inform Tia about her son’s death if she regains consciousness, as they struggle to process the devastating loss themselves.
“Right now, it is very hard. We don’t know how we are going to deal with it, what we are going to do to comfort her in any way, shape or form, because we are still trying to figure out how to comfort ourselves in the tragedy we’re going through,” said father and grandparent Michael Robinson.
The Robinsons described Khalil as an outgoing child who shared a special bond with his twin sister.
“He’s always protecting Khloe, as she does the same for him. They protect each other,” Regina said. “You say, ‘Come on, Khloe.’ ‘No, where my brother? I have to get my brother. Where’s my brother?’ She always wanted her brother by her side, as he would want her by his side.”
Police have taken the suspected driver into custody. The 47-year-old woman hasn’t been charged.