On July 21, a 14-year-old girl was hit and killed by a drunk driver on Trumansburg Road in Ithaca.
Sophia Nickerson was walking with her sister and a friend to their mother’s house near Indian Creek when a car hit them.
Sophia’s younger sister, Liliana, called their mother who called and let their father, Dan, know what had occurred.
He arrived to the hospital where his daughter was unconscious and the medical staff were unable to revive her.
The driver had left the scene, and after finding his car’s grill at the scene of the accident, he was located.
Robert Defelice, 37, of Ithaca, is charged with D.W.I., leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident, and vehicular manslaughter.
Dan said he hasn’t felt the immense anger yet, and he would prefer not to because it’s not what Sophia would have wanted. He simply wishes the driver had taken better care of himself and avoided causing such a huge void in his life with the loss of his daughter.
Liliana, 11, suffered no injuries but is dealing with the grief from the loss of her sister with the rest of her family, who are seeking grief counseling.
Sophia was entering 10th grade at Lehman Alternative Community School, which will hold a celebration of life for her on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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