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‘My soul was gone,’ said dad who watched car hit daughter near ice cream truck

Posted at 6:26 PM, Sep 01, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-02 09:04:45-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond father and daughter talked about the scariest moment of their lives, when little Jahmya Craven, age 6, was hit while trying to get ice cream. It happened Monday, when Jahmya was walking towards an ice cream truck.

"I got hit by car," she said. “Hard. Really hard."

Her dad said she was struck head-on while getting ready to cross Littlepage Street with her aunt and dad, to buy ice cream.

"She was crying, crying,” said her dad George Liles, “I was going to her, I went to her -- they were like ‘there goes the guy, down there goes the guy right there.’”

Liles said he made eye contact with the driver and said “man, come here.”

“Come on man you hit my daughter,” Liles said. “He looked at me, got in the car and he peeled off."

Liles gripped Jahmya’s hand tighter than usual on Tuesday as they walked down the street.

"My first reaction was my soul was gone," he said.

Police arrested Linwood Eddleton, 45, of the 2800 block of Wellington Street, about 30 minutes after the incident. He was charged with felony hit and run.

Linwood Eddleton (PHOTO: Richmond Police)

Linwood Eddleton (PHOTO: Richmond Police)

"I'm glad they did catch him!” Liles said. “Because he could've did it to somebody else's kid and got away with it."

As for Jahmya, she was immediately transported to the hospital, where she was treated for minor scrapes and bruises on her shoulder and knee.

After that she got ice cream.

"Oh yeah, you know I had to get her ice cream, McDonald's, food, everything, man! Yeah I had to get her all that!" said Liles.

Jahmya was all smiles the day after and offered up some high fives.

She never fell to the ground after getting struck. The force pushed her back into her aunt, who was standing behind her.

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