Mom of girl, 11, struck by car on Pittsburgh’s North Side last week speaks out

PITTSBURGH — Channel 11 News spoke with the mother of one of the 11-year-old girls who were hit by a car last week on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

“Honestly while I am right here, even while I am walking, I keep looking at lights and cars,” Kara Walker, the mother of one of the victims, said.

>> 2 girls, 11, hit by car on Pittsburgh’s North Side

Walker met Channel 11 News at the intersection of where her daughter was struck, Brighton Road and Jacksonia Street.

Walker said her daughter was walking with a friend on Dec. 13 around 4:30 p.m. when they were hit by a car.

“My thoughts here right now is just, ‘What can we do to make it not happen again?’” she said as she looked at the intersection for the first time following the crash.

It’s a familiar route for the girls, Walker lives right around the corner, and last year it was their school bus stop. But she said the intersection has always worried her.

“They need a crossing guard out here. I want to see somebody out there able to make sure my kids get from this side of the street to the other side and not in an ambulance,” Walker explained.

Channel 11 reached out to the city to see if they were aware of this concern.

The Mayor’s Office shared the following plan:

“The City has received complaints via 3-1-1 regarding the intersection and DOMI began looking at what traffic calming tool is best to use in the neighborhood. In this case, we do have a plan to fully replace the signal in 2024. The new signal will include pedestrian signals, push buttons, and leading pedestrian intervals, with the pedestrian signals showing walk before the adjacent green so pedestrians will move off first.”

“Why do we have to wait for cause and effect of an accident, my daughter has to go through something for the rest of her life,” Walker said.

While both girls were rushed to the hospital, they are now both at home recovering. Walker said she is grateful.

“Both those little girls are strong, and God did his thing that day,” Walker said.

But still, she wants accountability and an apology.

“I never heard anybody relay a message of apology, and that’s not to me that’s to my little girls,” Walker said.

No charges have been filed, and police are still actively investigating this incident.

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