POLLOCK PINES, Calif. — Family members say a young girl hit by a van in Pollock Pines is currently in critical, but stable condition at the hospital.
"They're monitoring her very, very closely. The staff at UC Davis is amazing... she's stable. So those numbers are stable for the moment and that's all we can ask for right now," said Allison Warren, the child's aunt.
Warren said her niece Juniper Ammons, 4, was one of the five children hit by an appliance van in Pollock Pines.
"They were walking across the street at the time (on a field trip to a park), and the young man did not see them and ran into five children who were all injured. And Juniper was one of them," she said.
She said her sister and brother-in-law have been by Juniper's side since she arrived to the hospital. Warren's role, as the older sister, and her family's role, for now, is to serve as a rock for them despite how challenging it may be.
"My sister Jill, my sister Kelsey, and myself were there today with her. But we're strong in front of her and then we have our moments where we get in the car and just kind of scream it out and then and then we go back up and we support," said Warren.
One of the things the family is asking for right now is a prayer from anyone willing to share one.
"Right now, the more prayers we get, the louder we are, and she (Juniper) needs that -- she needs that support," said Warren.
The hope is that Juniper goes back to being the "ray of sunshine" they know her to be.
"She lights up a room... We laugh because we talk about her being such an old soul. She says things that you're like, 'How did that come out of a four-year-old's mouth. She and just, the largest heart ever. All she wants to do is help people," said Warren.
As Juniper recovers in the hospital, her aunts have put together a GoFundMe to support her and her family. The fundraiser aims to help them with food, toiletries and child care for Juniper's baby sister.
"I thought we would share it with a few friends, and it would get enough to handle some DoorDash gift cards while we were sitting there so we could DoorDash food to them and make sure that my sister and Trevor ate and drank and were able to be comfortable. And then to see that (support). I mean, it's astonishing," she said.
The GoFundMe is available HERE.
