The crash happened at Rays Road and Central Drive in DeKalb County. The mother, Dawt Chin Sung, was holding Tluang Tha Men, 8, in her arms when the car struck them.
Friends and relatives said they're still in shock.
"Everyone is praying for them," a friend said, asking not to be identified.
Close friends and relatives of Tluang gathered at the little girl’s home in Stone Mountain after they heard the horrible news.
“They hit them at the bus stop,” the friend said.
Witnesses say the mother was holding her daughter, when the two were hit, crossing the street to the bus stop. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/WqXXxbfGgU
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) February 16, 2018
Authorities said Sung was carrying her daughter to a bus stop at the corner of Rays Road and Central Drive, which is very close to their home.
Police said they were walking in a crosswalk when Ejigayheu H. Tsegaye, 38, hit them.
Witnesses told police the bus driver put out the stop sign arm but the driver went through the green light at the intersection anyway.
The little girl was killed. Her mother was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries, police said.
DeKalb PD: 8 year old girl, struck by vehicle while crossing street to get on school bus. She is in critical condition. Mother was struck as well with moderate injuries. Both transported to the hospital. The driver is still at the scene. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/5NP5heaJkx
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) February 16, 2018
Investigators said they have to recreate the scene and decide if they’re going to charge the driver with a crime or not.
The driver’s relatives said that the mother and daughter were not walking in the crosswalk.
“When the accident happened, the lady, she’s not crossing in the crosswalk, she cross in the road,” the driver’s cousin, Lung Thawng, said.
Police will have the final say and the victim's relatives said they'll withhold their judgment pending the outcome of the investigation.
“If the stop sign was up and hit her, that’s a different story. But if the bus stop wasn’t there, I don’t know what to say about that,” the friend said.
Relatives said that the 8-year-old victim leaves behind three sisters, one of whom is a newborn.
About the Author