An 11-year-old girl who was on life support after an ATV hit-and-run crash in Apple Valley over the weekend died on Wednesday morning, her family said.
Christina “Tina” Bird was pronounced dead at 8:50 a.m., after being hospitalized July 2, her uncle told KTLA.
Her 12-year-old friend Jacob Martinez also died in the incident. The pair were on a trip to the high desert with their families for a Fourth of July tradition.
Christina and Jacob were riding on the same ATV when they were struck on Stoddard Wells Road. The person who crashed into them did not stop and render aid, their families said.
The two children were found lying next to each other.
Jacob was pronounced dead at the scene.
Christina was on life support at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital after suffering several broken bones and a severed spinal cord before she died Wednesday. Doctors had told the family before she died that there was a chance Christina was brain dead and her chances of survival were low. Still, they had been hoping for a miracle.
“My daughter was 11 years old. She was loved by many people,” Christina’s mom, Felicia Nunez, said through tears.
California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident and believes the suspect vehicle is a bright orange 2021 RZR Turbo S or Turbo S4.
The families are demanding justice and asking for the person responsible to come forward.
“My nephew was mangled. He was trampled to death,” Daisy Montano, Jacob’s aunt, said. “And that person just left.”
Christina and Jacob were inseparable up until their last moments together, the families said.
“We were just trying to be with our families,” Montano said. “It was right in front of our campsite. We had no control of what was going to happen.”