Aalyiah Rasheed-Wiley, my 15-year-old niece, was struck in a hit-and-run while walking to school. She attends John Glenn High School in Westland, Michigan. On Thursday, December 8th, I received a hysterical call from my sister at 7 AM that my niece had been struck by a car. I remember not knowing if she was alive or dead.

My niece stopped at the intersection of Newberg and Marquette, a block and a half away from her apartment, waited to be signaled to walk, and trusted that she could safely walk herself to school. When she did, she was struck by a speeding driver who ignored the stop light at 45 miles per hour. Witnesses say they saw my niece fly in the air. Students on school buses saw her get struck. A teacher from another school was the first to her aid, putting a blanket on her.

There were parents, teachers, school buses, and many witnesses when my niece got hit. It happened at approximately 6:48 AM. Westland community residents say that it is no surprise that someone else got hit at the intersection of Newburg and Marquette, because people willingly run that light all the time.

It is my family's goal that no one should ever get hit at that intersection again.

Aalyiah is the 3rd person who has been struck by a car when walking across the Newberg and Marquette intersection this year. She has excessive brain damage with pin points of blood having been found all over her brain, a concussion, a fractured lower spine, and 3 breaks in her pelvis (2 on the left, one on the right). She can't speak or walk and her road to recovery will be long and stressful for her, her mother, and her little brother who also needs her mother's attention.

The driver who struck my niece is being charged with a felony for not staying at the scene of the accident. Because my niece didn't die, the driver can pay a fine of $5,000.00 and walk away with a felony that can be expunged in 5 years. She has received death threats and her life will never be the same. She will always have the image of having hit my niece in her mind. I don't want another driver to have their life ruined by a tragedy that could be avoided by taking personal responsibility to stop at traffic lights in school zones.

No one else should have to suffer from this pain. The pain of not knowing if their loved one will live after being struck by a driver who doesn't stop for pedestrians. The pain of knowing there wasn't enough support to stop this driver at the light and that this could happen again to someone else.

This intersection needs clear signs marking that this is a school zone, a speed trap or parked police car to discourage drivers from speeding on Newberg in both directions, cameras on the lights to issue tickets to speeding drivers, a proper crosswalk with pedestrian signals that alert drivers to stop, and a crossing guard.

According to a letter my sister received from Wayne Westland Community Schools: "This intersection and the infrastructure surrounding this area (streetlights, crossing guards, sidewalks, etc.) fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Westland or the Wayne County Roads Division. If you would like to pursue your ideas regarding changes you would like to see made to this corner, please contact the City of Westland or the Wayne County Roads Division. 

This petition will help us to get the support and attention of the City of Westland and the Wayne County Roads Division by showing that the community cares about correcting this issue and we need the support of city and county officials.

Before this tragedy, Aalyiah was a sophomore in high school, funny, opinionated, and loved to draw. She loved walking to school and taking control of her own priorities as an independent young lady. She should have been able to walk to school without worrying about being struck at this intersection.

While my niece won't be able to speak or walk for a long time, with more safety measures, this intersection can be safe for everyone after Lee Lee who needs to cross to walk to school, preventing future tragedies. Please make #AalyiahsWay safe for pedestrians. If we win, no more children will have the same long road of recovery after being struck. We can do this.

If you are moved to take an action, please sign our petition to make this intersection safe, send your prayers for Aalyiah's continued recovery, and donate to Aalyiah's GoFundMe to help her mother, a single mom of 2, with her care during this long journey ahead.

This is the link to Aalyiah's GoFundMe where we are providing updates on her condition: https://gofund.me/c58145a5