Update, March 12: In just two days, 120 people have raised more than $10,000 for the fourth-grader, whose legs were broken after she was hit by a taxi in a crosswalk in Berkeley. The campaign has increased the goal to $15,000.
Original story, March 11, 1:43 p.m. Supporters of the little girl whose legs were broken earlier this week when a taxi struck her and her mother in a crosswalk outside their elementary school have already raised more than $5,000 in less than a day to help her.
The gofundme campaign launched Thursday, following Tuesday night’s crash after a PTA meeting at John Muir Elementary School.
Find the fundraising page for Lillia here.
Police received multiple 911 calls about the collision at 7:40 p.m. The woman and her 9-year-old daughter were walking west in the crosswalk when a taxi driver traveling north on Claremont Avenue hit them. Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats said both the mother and daughter were injured, but that the girl’s injuries were more serious. They were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The driver stayed at the scene and was cooperative. He received a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be a factor in the incident, said Coats.
The girl, identified as Lillia on the fundraising website, suffered two broken legs, according to the PTA. She is a fourth-grader at John Muir.
“Lillia is now at the hospital with severe injuries, had to go through a very long surgery” and will need extensive rehab, according to the fundraising page, which appears to have been set up by someone at French Education in the Bay Area (EFBA), a French immersion school where Lillia’s mom Khadija teaches.
“Lillia and Khadija are our friends and a part of our community,” reads the statement. “We know it could happen to any of us and because we do care, we want to help them facing all the hospital and rehabilitation bills that are coming.”
Find the fundraising page for Lillia here. There’s also a petition being circulated to ask the city to put a pedestrian light at the crosswalk where Lillia and her mother were hit.
Related:
Father of girl struck by car calls for better traffic control (03.17.16)
Berkeley fourth-grader hit by taxi; parents call for better crosswalk lighting (03.09.16)
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