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3-year-old dies after birthday party accident

Posted at 10:58 PM, Aug 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-07 00:27:17-04

A birthday celebration turns into the worst moment of a Milwaukee family's life after a 3-year-old girl is killed at her own party.

Jayda Handy saw her grandfather walking towards her from a distance, and got excited. She darted into the street to greet him, and was hit by a car.

"Everyone was here to celebrate her third birthday, and it turned into this," says Jayda's father, Jaylen Handy. "It's just tragic. That was my baby. She was just here, preparing for her party all morning. It was all she could talk about for weeks. This doesn't seem real."

Jayda's party was in a park across the street from the house her family moved into less than a month ago, near 84th and Marion. Jaylen says his daughter was the one who always made it feel like home.

"Every time I would walk into the house she would yell for me, and say 'Daddy, where are you?'" Jaylen says. "We can't stay here anymore. She died in front of this house. It's just too much to bear."

Milwaukee Police say the driver of the car that hit Jayda stayed on scene, and is fully cooperating with the investigation.