Father of Florida toddler hurt in hit-and-run shares update on daughter
The two-year-old girl injured in a hit-and-run on Forest Lane in Daytona Beach is expected to be hospitalized for at least two more weeks. Elaya Richardson’s father, Edward Richardson, said she suffered several serious injuries to her face and head. The hope is to eventually transfer the toddler from hospital care to physical rehabilitation.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The two-year-old girl injured in a hit-and-run on Forest Lane in Daytona Beach is expected to be hospitalized for at least two more weeks.
Elaya Richardson’s father, Edward Richardson, said she suffered several serious injuries to her face and head. The hope is to eventually transfer the toddler from hospital care to physical rehabilitation.
“She can’t talk right now and she still has a mask around her left eye, and the back of her head,” he said via Zoom from her hospital room. He also noted trouble with moving one of her arms.
Since it happened days ago, neither of her parents have left her side.
“The thing that’s crossing my mind each and every minute and every hour of the day, that my daughter [has] a full recovery,” Richardson said.
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Since they were able to assess the situation, the family and other neighbors in the area began to draw attention toward the lack of speed bumps in the neighborhood. The bumps were removed after the road was repaved, according to officials with the Daytona Beach Public Works Department.
Richardson said his mother received a call from officials telling them the bumps would be replaced as soon as this week. This differs from previous statements from the department, noting a series of steps and processes before that would happen.
FOX 35 News attempted to make contact with the department, but has yet to receive a response. If they are indeed reinstalling the bumps, Richardson said it is a long overdue change.
A sign which reads “Speed Hump Ahead” has been standing at the entrance of the neighborhood for about a year now, with no actual hump.
“That’s a good thing too, but the thing is why they [weren’t] there before this happened to my child,” he said.
Officials previously stated the residents have to submit a request to have speed bumps brought back when they are removed.
The family is working to collect funds to handle the expenses related to the incident. Click here to learn more.
