An adorable baby girl called Miracle tragically died after her stroller was struck by a ‘drunk man driving his truck in the dark without headlights’.
Miracle Mae Calloway was just 11-months-old when she was taken out for a walk by her stepdad Marquise Reese, 34.
Reese was pushing little Miracle in her stroller at 8:30pm on Tuesday in Tucson, Arizona, along with two other adults.
He was attempting to cross Rurthrauff Road when both were struck by a vehicle.
While Reese sustained only minor injuries, Miracle faced life-threatening injuries and the pair were rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
An adorable baby girl called Miracle tragically died after her stroller was struck by a ‘drunk’ man driving his truck in the dark without headlights
Miracle Mae Calloway was just 11-months-old when she was taken on a walk by her stepdad Marquise Reese, 34 (pictured)
As Reese attempted to cross Rurthrauff Road with Miracle tucked away in her stroller, they were both struck by a vehicle
The driver was identified as Colton Frank Ortiz, 32, and legal documents revealed that he had allegedly been driving eastbound without using his headlights.
Family members of Miracle claim that Ortiz was drunk and have started a ‘#justiceformiracle’ hashtag on social media.
‘Drugs and alcohol while driving never ends well,’ Miracle’s aunt Melinda Jean Barger posted on Facebook. ‘Don’t let another family suffer the way we are now,’ she said.
Miracle’s family adored her and are devastated by her loss. Her aunt said ‘My heart is broken.’
The baby’s mother, Kallee Foukes, regularly posted tributes to her beloved daughter online.
Just a few weeks ago, she said, ‘It’s amazing how fast time goes by when you’re enjoying every moment with your little one.’
‘The past 10 months have been a blur of diaper changes, feedings, and playtime, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world,’ she said.
The driver was identified as Colton Frank Ortiz, 32, and legal documents revealed that he had allegedly been driving eastbound without headlights
In a post from December, Foukes described how Miracle lived up to her name by making a ‘huge impact’ on so many people’s lives
‘Daddy Marquise Reese and mommy love you more than you could ever imagine and you are loved by many. There’s one too many to name but don’t ever say or feel like you aren’t loved. The list of people goes all the way from one end of the United States to the other,’ the mother said in the heartbreaking February 9 tribute to her daughter.
In a post from December, Foukes described how Miracle lived up to her name by making a ‘huge impact’ on so many people’s lives.
‘I’m pretty sure she’s going to continue making a difference in the world and the lives of her loved ones. She really lives up to her name and I couldn’t possibly ask for anything better than her.’
Ortiz is facing charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and aggravated DUI.
He is being held on a $200,000 bond.
Employees at Angelo’s Pizza and Gyros had witnessed officers arriving at the scene on Tuesday, 13 News reported.
‘We were out back working and we started seeing a whole bunch of cops,’ said Adam Sieria, a cook at Angelo’s.
‘We start noticing the traffic is getting blocked off to do a U-turn, [and] around 10 minutes later, there’s a whole bunch of cops, cars and firefighters outside,’ he continued.
Just a few weeks ago, Miracle’s mother Kallee Foukes said, ‘It’ s amazing how fast time goes by when you’re enjoying every moment with your little one’
‘Daddy Marquise Reese a nd mommy love you more than you could ever imagine and you are loved by many,’ Miracle’s mom wrote on facebook
Another witness at a gym nearby went to the street to see if he could help.
‘I saw the man who initially got hit,’ said Curtis Johnson, a trainer at Power and Exercise Fitness Center. ‘He was kind of limping in the road, and I was kind of making sure that he was out of the way of the car.’
‘I thought it was a shopping cart or something, I wasn’t sure because it was so dark,’ Johnson said. ‘And that’s when I noticed the infant was on the floor and it had been hit.’