Mesa girl, 8, innocent victim of a freak traffic accident

May 27--An 8-year-old Mesa girl stood on a corner at 8 a.m. May 19 with her mother and grandmother as they waited to cross the street when something terrible and unexpected happened.

Two SUVs collided at Ellsworth and Broadway roads in Mesa while Sadie Nesbitt, her mom and her grandmother were taking a walk for charity tied to the royal wedding, which had concluded a few hours earlier.

A black Ford Explorer driven by Heber Lee Carroll, 66, spun and jumped the curb, striking the girl, her mother, Nichole Nesbitt, and her grandmother, Kelly Ann Kehinde, 48, on the sidewalk, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

Nesbitt said her daughter suffered multiple fractures.

The first-grader at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa -- who loves animals, especially puppies, and her pit bull, Rosy -- suffered two fractured legs, a fractured hip and a broken arm, her mother said.

Kehinde and Sadie were taken to Banner Desert Medical Center and Banner Cardon Children's Hospital, respectively, for treatment. While Kehinde was released after a couple days, Sadie was still hospitalized at press time.

"She's going to pull through and she's going to be strong," Nesbitt said. "There was no injury to the brain. She is going to be OK."

Although Sadie likely will be wheelchair-bound for some period of time, she added, "They said because she so young, it will help her recover."

Nesbitt said she is still struggling to grasp what happened to her daughter and her mother that morning. She said she suffered only bumps and bruises.

"I am still not able to grasp it all. I am trying to stay strong for her (Sadie) and do what she needs me to do," Nicole Nesbitt said. "It was the wrong place at the wrong time."

Kehinde posted on Facebook: "We continue to be humbled by the outpouring of love and support for our precious warrior. We know prayers are so powerful so please continue to keep her on your prayers."

Classmates at Stevenson Elementary rallied to aid the girl, who loves animals, Snow White and cowgirl boots, shirts and hats.

First-graders and kindergartners last week made her get-well cards and the school, at 638 S. 96th St., will be open throughout June for summer classes and to accept donations on Sadie's behalf.

Nesbitt created a page on gofundme.com to raise donations that will help cover her medical expenses until a settlement can be arranged with Carroll's insurance company.

The page, gofundme.com/help-cover- sadie's-medical-expenses, seeks to raise $100,000.

Nesbitt said the family members had been walking on Broadway and were waiting to cross Ellsworth Road when the freak collision occurred. She said they had been heading to a Starbuck's inside the Fry's Supermarket across the street.

Kehinde wrote on Facebook that the family was participating in the virtual Royal Run 5K/10K in support of the Princess Diana Memorial Fund, a charity organized to help the disadvantaged after the Princess's death.

Their participation coincided with the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle earlier that day in London.

"We were at the crosswalk waiting for the light to change. We heard a loud crash and that's all I remember," Kehinde wrote, adding that she was thrown about 100 feet while Sadie was thrown 300 feet by the force of the collision.

The Sheriff's Office said the collision occurred when a silver 2011 Jeep Liberty, traveling north on Ellsworth Road and driven by Ronald Dean Haab, 70, turned left onto Broadway Road.

The Jeep collided with the 2015 black Explorer driven by Carroll, who was headed south on Ellsworth. Haab was uninjured and Carroll was taken to Banner Desert for treatment of minor injuries.

"There's conflicting statements about what color the light was. That's why it's still under investigation," said Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

He said detectives are tracking down and reviewing any surveillance videos that might be available from nearby businesses in hopes of clarifying the color of the light during the collision.

A statement from the Sheriff's Office said both drivers were evaluated by a drug recognition expert who determined they were not impaired by drugs or alcohol. Excessive speed also was not a factor.

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