CLEVELAND — On West 50th Street where a 5-year-old was struck in a hit and run over the weekend neighbors built their own sign to let drivers know simply, to slow down.
According to police, 5-year-old Apolina Asumani ran out from between two cars and was struck by a dark-colored sedan heading north. The impact knocked the girl to the ground, and the car then drove over her and kept going.
“She hit the front the headlight, she rolled on the hood and rolled under the car then the car completely ran her over, “ said neighbor Jennifer Ellis.
Apolina later died. Neighbors told News 5 drivers speed down their street all the time, so after the Saturday incident, they took matters into their own hands. They built a large metal sign that reads, “slow down, kids play here.”
“I think it’s sad the city should be doing this not us, but that just shows that we care, we do care about these kids,” said Ellis.
Though the sign isn’t the final solution, neighbors hope it helps and that the city would step in.
“I would personally like to see speed bumps, one here and one there,” said San Pedro Garcia, another neighbor.
The driver of the vehicle is facing multiple charges. Apolina’s uncle says he's happy they caught her and just hopes no one else faces this pain.
“This is kind of a lesson. They need to follow the speeds of the streets because they didn’t respect the speed that’s why this happened, she was too fast,” said Mulumba Barabara, Apolina’s uncle.
News 5 reached out to Councilman Kerry McCormack about possible speed bumps and we have not heard back.
Police did catch the driver of the vehicle, the teenager is facing multiple charges including aggravated vehicular homicide.
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