BLACK MOUNTAIN, NC — A girl who was hit by a vehicle on Highway 70 has died, hospital officials say.
Mission Health said in a statement that caregivers are providing support and care to the family of 6-year-old Israel Wilson.
Black Mountain police received the call just before 7:30 p.m. Friday, according to an incident report.
The girl was hit by a westbound vehicle after she ran into traffic, officials said. WLOS-TV reported that Israel was a special-needs girl who was autistic.
The girl’s mother ran after her but tripped and fell, Israel’s grandfather told WLOS.
Police haven’t released the driver’s name or additional details about the crash.
Israel’s grandmother, Melissa Edwards, spoke on the family’s behalf in the hospital statement:
“Israel was our angel and was so loved. She had the most incredible smile and loved to dance and twirl and sing in her own special way. Israel was a kindergartner at Estes Elementary in the PEP program and would spend hours on her iPad learning and studying many languages.”
The hospital said the family honored Israel’s legacy through organ donation.— WSPA-TV contributed to this report
