Girl hit by car dies at University Medical Center

All three of the little girls had blond hair and big smiles. And they all needed miracles.

But it became clear Monday that for one of them, a miracle was not coming.

Three days after being run down in a North Las Vegas crosswalk, Amelia "Mia" Decker was taken off life support.

Michele Terry, Mia's mother, said the family sang "You Are My Sunshine" as the girl drifted away. The 6-year-old, a pupil at Lee Antonello Elementary School, died at 1:48 p.m.

"Her blood pressure dropped way too low," Terry said. "The breathing machine was trying to work with her, but she just gave out, and we decided to let her go. Two minutes and she was gone."

Mia, with Alyssa Mowery, 6, and her sister, Rain Mowery, 5, were struck by a car about 6:45 p.m. Friday near Camino Eldorado and Tropical Parkway in North Las Vegas.

The children entered a crosswalk near Eldorado Park after a vehicle in the lane closest to them stopped. A 78-year-old woman driving in the outer lane did not stop. She crashed into the children and continued driving for about 60 yards, North Las Vegas police Sgt. Tim Bedwell said.

Bedwell did not comment on whether the woman would face charges. She was not identified.

Alyssa remained in "very" critical condition Monday evening, police said.

According to friends and family on a Facebook group, her brain was extremely swollen, and she was battling pneumonia.

Her sister, Rain, was treated for a fractured skull and released from University Medical Center on Sunday, according to the Facebook group, called These 3 Angels.

"One miracle is happening with Rain getting to go home," a family spokesperson wrote on the Facebook page. "We have two more miracles to go."

Terry said the three days in the hospital were rough on both families -- made more stressful by a case of mistaken identity.

Because of a mix-up by authorities, Terry sat next to Alyssa's bed instead of her daughter's most of Friday night and Saturday morning, saying prayers and signing medical forms for the wrong 6-year-old girl.

At the same time, Alyssa's mother was huddled over Mia's bed, Terry said.

Because Alyssa and Mia looked alike and their faces were swollen from the accident, Terry did not suspect a switch until about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, she said.

"It took the rest of Saturday to get the information right," she said.

Danita Cohen, a UMC spokeswoman, said the identity mix-up did not interfere with either girl's care.

"This was a terrible accident, and there had to be very quick work in the field and quick decisions made," Cohen said.

Terry said Mia's prognosis was grim from the very beginning.

Paramedics told Terry that Mia was dead in the ambulance, but somehow, doctors at UMC were able to find a pulse.

Even as the days ticked by without much positive news, the family never gave up hope.

A few hours before her daughter's death, Terry told the Review-Journal she was optimistic that surgery could repair the major damage to Mia's spine.

"It's been one nightmare after another," Terry said. "Some doctors said she might be OK, others are saying she still might die. We're getting conflicting info from everyone and just trying to hang on to hope."

In the midst of the tragedy, Terry said she hopes people will turn their attention to the crosswalk where her daughter was struck.

She said she used the crosswalk every morning walking Mia to school. A couple of times, she almost was hit by cars that refused to yield to pedestrians.

The white lines marking the crosswalk were faded, and the signs didn't have lights, she said.

On the day of the accident, Terry said, she used the crosswalk with Mia and her other daughter, 13-year-old Kaelyn.

They were getting food at a Jack in the Box when the children suggested they have a picnic in the park, Terry said.

Because Kaelyn was with the younger girls, Terry didn't see a problem letting them walk alone. And there was still daylight.

It was much darker when the girls were walking back from the park.

"That wouldn't have mattered if the crosswalk had been acceptable to use," Terry said. "Now that a child has died, maybe someone will finally do something about it."

About 50 people gathered late Monday afternoon near the intersection where the girls were struck.

People shouted and held up signs that read "slow down" as some cars raced through the crosswalk, exceeding the 35 mph speed limit.

Nearby, a makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, roses and letters decorated the post of a crosswalk sign at Camino Eldorado and Bent Arrow Drive.

Terry appeared at the memorial in tears. She said she had to show her appreciation for the support her family has received.

"Everybody cares," she said, later hugging several people at the memorial. "I didn't expect as much as we got from everybody. The support is absolutely incredible."

A candlelight vigil will be held for the three girls at Eldorado Park at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Daphne Shrout was among those who gathered along the street Monday evening. The 13-year-old said she uses the crosswalk almost every day to get to Eldorado Park.

She can't count the number of times she almost has been hit there by drivers who ignore pedestrians.

"It's very scary," Shrout said. "I'm afraid to go across it."

Bedwell said police already have begun evaluating crosswalks in North Las Vegas to determine whether any are below standard.

"This crash was a tough one for us," Bedwell said. "You could see it on the faces of the guys who got there first. This crash touched us a lot."

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Review-Journal writer Antonio Planas contributed to this report.