PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A 15-year-old girl from Pembroke Pines was riding her bicycle Monday when she was fatally struck by a car, authorities said.
The girl was identified as Cassie Torres.
According to Pembroke Pines police, Torres was riding her bike east on the sidewalk on the south side of Taft Street shortly after 5 p.m. and turned left on Northwest 125th Avenue, where she proceeded to cross northbound.
Authorities said Amanda Hernandez, 53, also of Pembroke Pines, was driving west on Taft Street in her silver Mercedes-Benz C230, approaching 125th Avenue.
As the car traveled through the intersection, the teen rode her bike into its path and was struck, police said.
"I know she was in the street, so she wasn't riding where she should have, in the bike trail, and she wasn't wearing a helmet. But still, it was a holiday and it's a 35 (mph) speed limit, so it must have been a really hard crash," Andrea Jurgenson, who drove by the crash scene, told Local 10 News.
Authorities said Hernandez remained at the scene and cooperated with detectives.
Pembroke Pines firefighters took Torres to Memorial Regional Hospital, where she died just after 6:30 p.m.
Torres' uncle told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic that his niece had just celebrated her quinceanera two months ago.
"I miss her so much. I miss her so much," Robert Zvigelsky said.
Zvigelsky said his niece was a student at Charles W. Flanagan High School and was riding her bike to Starbucks with a friend since they were off from school Monday.
He said Torres was a big Disney fans and loved her three dogs.
"She loved everybody. She was a good person, sweet person," Zvigelsky said.
No charges have been filed in the incident. Traffic homicide detectives are still investigating the crash.
"It's just like a bad dream and you just want to slap yourself to wake up," Zvigelsky said.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Torres' family with her funeral expenses.