Gilbert family says alleged red light runner hit child on bike; helmet saved her life

By Micaela Marshall

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    GILBERT, Arizona (KPHO, KTVK) — “I thought there’s no way that anybody could survive this and time just stopped,” said Daniel Strazza. “Super traumatic scene to see a 7-year-old kid lying on the road because someone was careless.”

A Gilbert family is thankful their daughter is alive after a scary situation nearly one week ago. Their 7-year-old girl was struck by a car while riding her bike with her parents. Although she is seriously hurt, she is expected to be OK.

This happened at a busy intersection near a Gilbert park where many people were out walking and riding bikes. Alexandria Strazza’s mom is a nurse practitioner and has seen her share of trauma patients, but watching a crash involving her daughter happen right in front of her has been almost too much to bear.

That day, both parents rushed to Alex to tend to her injuries while other witnesses called 911. “When he T-boned her, her head hit his Yukon, and then her left leg flung across her body, and then she flew through the air. I can see it replay in my head,” said Sarah Strazza.

The painful memory is burned into their minds. Parents Sarah and Daniel have been flooded with emotions ever since the crash. “She starts crying, screaming. What’s going on? What happened? Am I dead?” recalled Daniel.

It happened last Monday afternoon around 1:15. The family rode their bikes to lunch in downtown Gilbert and were on their way back home. They were waiting at a crosswalk on Lindsay Road near Elliot Road, and after the pedestrian signal lit up, Alex started to peddle across the street. They say all of a sudden, someone ran a red light and slammed into their little girl.

“I literally thought I lost my daughter in that moment,” said Sarah. “Oh yeah, absolutely. For those five, ten seconds,” said Daniel. “When I saw him blaze through there and hit her, I thought I lost my daughter,” continued Sarah. “100%. Everything just came to a stop. Like now how are we going to live without her?” said Daniel.

Alex survived. Messages of love cover their front door as she recovers at home after she spent days in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries. Her left femur is broken, and she has lacerations all over her face, lips, and mouth. She’ll be in a wheelchair for a while as she heals.

“She’s just honest and kind and sweet. She doesn’t have a bad bone in her body, and she doesn’t deserve to be in this position at all,” said Daniel. The road to recovery is long. “Everyday she asks us like, ‘Why does this have to happen to me? Why did he have to hit me?’,” said Daniel.

The family credits Alex’s puffy coat and helmet with saving her life. “I’m so grateful that she’s still here with us, so we’re really blessed,” said Sarah through tears.

They said the driver stayed on scene and has not been charged. Police told them he does not have insurance. They hope their story encourages drivers to slow down and pay attention and showcases how critical it is to wear a helmet.

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