A mother and her young daughter are dead after being struck by a car Saturday evening in Garfield Heights.
Family has identified the two victims as 33-year-old Tiffany Montgomery and her 5-year-old daughter Kionna Hayward. They were hit by a car while walking at the intersection of East 131st Street and Rexwood Avenue around 6:33 p.m.
Garfield Heights city council member Michael Dudley said Montgomery's older daughter was with them at the time of the crash and witnessed it but she was unharmed.
Montgomery was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center and Hayward was taken to University's Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital by Garfield Heights EMS. Both were pronounced dead a short time after.
"I'm really really stunned by this," said George Deal, the family's neighbor. “She was a good mother, an excellent mother. She did the things she was supposed to do with her kids."
The driver of the vehicle was a 53-year-old man from Cleveland. Police do not suspect drug and alcohol usage at this time and are continuing to investigate.
“The driver didn’t run," said Dudley. "He actually after he went over them, he did get out of the vehicle and go back and check on them.”
Dudley also said the driver did not run a red light nor does speed appear to be a factor. He said sun-glare might have played a role.
Dudley said he can't remember any other major incidents at that intersection in the past.
