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Worcester Police: 5-year-old girl has died after being hit by the driver of an SUV

WORCESTER, Mass. — Asha Nyarko-Asare is heartbroken after losing her 5-year-old daughter.

“It hasn’t been easy,” said Nyarko-Asare, before breaking down into tears.

Candice Asare-Yeboah died Monday night after spending a month in the ICU.

She suffered severe injuries when she and her mom were hit by a car while crossing Stafford Street in Worcester on April 18.

“I don’t know where that car came from,” said Nyarko-Asare.

Nyarko-Asare is still recovering from her own injuries. Her right leg is broken in three places, but those injuries are nothing compared to the pain this family is feeling after losing their little girl.

“It’s all pain in my heart. I cry every day,” said Simon Yeboah, Candice’s father.

Yeboah will never forget rushing to the scene of the crash.

“It’s something that you don’t want to see,” said Yeboah.

Police say the driver was speeding, and the impact of the crash threw Candice twenty feet into the air.

“She did fight, but there was a lot of damage,” said Yeboah.

Now these parents are holding onto their favorite memories of their daughter as they plan her funeral.

“She will make you laugh if you see her, she has a ton of questions to ask and some of them very funny questions, so everywhere she goes people like her,” said Nyarko-Asare.

This family now hopes drivers will slow down in this area.

“The reinforcement should be on crosswalks and if possible speed ramps where there’s a cross walk to help other families not go through what I’m going through right now,” said Nyarko-Asare.

Worcester Police say the driver, 57-year-old Christopher Remillard, of Leicester, will now face additional charges – including vehicular homicide.

“Even if he face charges or whatever, it don’t bring my daughter back,” said Nyarko-Asare.

The crash happened around 9:30 a.m. April 18. Witnesses said Asha Nyarko-Asare was stuck underneath the car, while Candice was found unconscious dozens of feet away from her mom.

The owner of a nearby beauty supply store told Boston 25 in April that the girl and her mom had just left her store before they were hit. while trying to cross Stafford Street, in the crosswalk.

“After they left I heard a noise, so I came out here, saw that the baby was on the road and the lady was under the car,” said Esther Mensah, owner of Queen Beauty Supply in Worcester.

Other nearby business owners echoed concerns that it was a dangerous street to cross.

“It seems like it’s a game of ‘Frogger,’ so it’s kind of like trying to get across as quickly as possible or hoping someone stops,” said Alex Valle, who owns Your CBD Store Worcester.

Valle said he hoped the April crash would send a message to the city about making the area safer.

“It’s a matter of trying to I guess unite and try to see if we can get some flashing pedestrian crosswalks or maybe even a light so we can kind of slow down the traffic that takes place here,” said Valle.

An investigation remains ongoing.

Relatives of Candice Asare-Yeboah have established a GoFundMe page to help support her family.

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