Vigil for 4-year-old Durham accident victim
DURHAM (WTVD) -- A vigil was held Saturday for Jeri Dee Quick - the 4-year-old Durham child who was hit by a car Monday night as she ran out in the road to see her father.
It happened around 9:30 p.m. in the 3500 block of Dearborn Drive, which is off of Old Oxford Road.
Investigators said the girl had been playing in a yard when she saw her father pull into a parking lot across the street and ran to meet him.
She died early Tuesday morning at the hospital.
The family is preparing to lay the girl to rest Tuesday. Saturday's vigil was held at the spot where the girl was killed.
"I have no expression to show you because we don't have a river, a place to put my tears," said dad Jerriminko Brooks.
The accident happened after Jeri's first day of preschool.
"I just know that she was happy," said mom Shakanna Quick.
She can vividly remember their last night before the girl's big day at school.
"She was so excited. We stayed up. I was doing her hair and she was excited to put on her uniform," said her mom.
Saturday, dozens of friends and family members rallied around the two grieving parents at the vigil. Pink and white balloons were released in memory of the little girl.
The driver who hit the girl is not facing any charges. Police say she was not at fault or speeding.
The family is now pressed to deal with aftermath of the tragic accident. They are trying to raise funds to pay for her funeral.
"Anybody to help us reach this goal [to] lay my baby to rest," said Brooks.
The parents have a goal they need to reach, but just wish they didn't have to.
"It was a goal I never expected to have," said Brooks. "I wouldn't dream of it. And we just, we just hope everybody can come together at this time and help us as best as they can."
If you want to donate, just go to any Wells Fargo Bank and ask for the Jeri Dee Quick Memorial Fund or click here for the gofundme link. The family is also asking for food donations. Anyone interested can bring something to the First United Antioch Baptist on Holloway Street in Durham.
