One of the victims of a deadly hit-and-run crash in downtown Minneapolis is sharing her story while recovering from a broken leg.

A 16-year-old was killed and five others were hurt when police say a woman drove into a crowd of people gathered at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and 5th Street early Saturday morning.

14-year-old Damary’onia Jarrett was injured in the crash.

It was difficult for her to talk about the incident and she asked 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS not to show her face on camera.

A cast the length of her leg and crutches to help her walk are a constant reminder of a memory
Damary’onia can’t shake.   

“My friend was fighting. I was going to break the fight up. Somebody hit us with a car,” she said. “Everybody was screaming. I just needed help. Nobody was trying to help me. When I finally got help. I just was panicking.”

While lost in that moment during the interview and fighting back tears, luckily, her dad walked in the room to bring her comfort.

“Bright, wonderful, intelligent, the love of my life. She’s the sunshine of the family,” Reginald Jarrett, father, said.

But he explained what he sees now is different.

“Devastating. This is my firstborn. She’s my baby,” he said.

Reginald explained her age is being tied to a narrative he’s hoping to disrupt.

“Everybody did something when they were that age that their parents didn’t approve of, that their parents didn’t know. So you can’t just judge my child or those people off of this one incident,” he said. “Don’t lie to your parents. Just tell them where you are because, in the blink of an eye, your life can change.”

Her parents said they did not know she was downtown until they got the call about the crash.

“She called me on the phone and said, ‘Mommy, Mommy, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done,’” Esque Dickerson, mother, said.

Dickerson rushed to the hospital, where they found out about their daughter’s injuries and 16-year-old De’Miaya Broome, who was killed in the crash.

“I struggle every morning because I kind of watched her take her last breath because they put them both in the same room,” Dickerson said.

“I’m so so sorry,” Damary’onia said in tears. “She didn’t deserve this.”

The 22-year-old suspect, Latalia Anjolie Margalli, was booked into custody on suspicion of murder.

She’s being held in the Hennepin County Jail and charges are expected on Tuesday.

A fundraiser has been set up to help Damary’onia’s family with medical expenses during her road to recovery.