PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – On Wednesday, orange spray paint still marked where 14-year-old Alexandra Abrahams was struck by a minivan on Taft Street last week.
Police said the Flanagan High School student was walking to school around 7 a.m. when a woman driving a Honda Odyssey hit her at the intersection of NW 127th Avenue.
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"The front window of the car was all broken," recalled a witness.
Abrahams' big, tightly-knit family was sure she would pull through. But the 9th-grade, A-student died four days later on Monday morning.
"She never regained consciousness," said guardian Kathy Holley.
On Wednesday, relatives from all over the country flocked to Holley's house to grieve and to remember the vibrant teenager. Even in her first year of high school, Abrahams knew she wanted to go to the University of Miami. She loved to dance and was well-liked by her friends at school. Her family told stories and shared pictures of the smiling brunette.
"Luckily we have each other. Everybody's sticking together," said Clifford Holley, a relative.
The family is together on another issue: they want a crosswalk where Abrahams was struck.
Blocks east of Flanagan High School, no crosswalk could be found.
Local 10 cameras caught a group of students doing just what Abrahams had done: darting across a busy Taft Street while cars whizzed by.
"We've had this for a long time. I guess it's an unofficial crosswalk," one student said.
Kathy Holley said she hopes a crosswalk will encourage children to follow the rules and drivers to slow down.
"I think this is something they need to evaluate because there's a lot of kids that go through that street," she said.
The driver of the van did stop after the crash and has not been charged in the incident.
According to the City of Pembroke Pines, Taft Street is a city roadway. Pembroke Pines police said for any crosswalk to be considered near a school, Broward County traffic officials likely will be involved in the study of the area.
Services for Alexandra Abrahams will be held Saturday, Oct. 29. The viewing will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Boyd-Panciera Family Funeral Care, 100 S. Douglas Rd., Pembroke Pines. Mass will begin at 2 p.m. at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, 701 N. Hiatus Rd., Pembroke Pines.