Franklin police continue to search for whoever ran over a 7-year-old girl Friday night and then fled the scene. The girl was on a walk with her mother in their own neighborhood when the driver came up from behind on Alexander Drive.
"It knocked her down, then ran over her legs," said Jessie Micrut, a neighbor and nurse who heard the girl's screams and ran outside to help. "That she doesn't have broken bones is pretty amazing."
Even more amazing is that no one else was hurt. The mother of the 7-year-old victim was pushing a stroller with a second child inside at the time. The car came so close to hitting all three, it toppled the stroller and mangled its wheel.
"I was so shaken up," Micrut said. "Because you just think that could've been my child."
In the minutes after the crash, Micrut helped calm the girl and her mother until an ambulance arrived. She said the child was taken to Vanderbilt and according to police the girl is expected to be okay. Right now, she is recovering at home from several scrapes, bruises and stitches.
But Micrut said the crash should be a wakeup call in more ways than one.
"Alexander Drive is a cut through, so we see a lot of speeding," Micrut said. "Speed bumps would be amazing to bring the speed down. We see cops out here sometimes, but more of that would also be great."
Alexander Drive also does not have any sidewalks, though there are four schools in the area and many children walk along the road to get to school.
"Even a sidewalk on one side of the road would keep pedestrians safer," she said.
Micrut also hopes the ordeal will also send a message to drivers.
"Just don't drive distracted, pay attention, keep your eyes up," she said. "You don't know how quickly you could change someone's life forever. I think you don't really realize that until you're a parent; how quickly your life would just be shattered if a child's life was taken."
Micrut has launched a GoFundMe to help the 7-year-old girl's family pay for medical costs and buy a new stroller.
Meanwhile, Franklin Police said they will not stop searching for the driver. They believe that person was driving a dark green older model four door sedan.
If you have information that could help officers find the driver, call Franklin Police Crimestoppers at (615) 794-4000. There is a $1,000 reward being offered for information.
