By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-03 15:11:44 | Updated at 2025-01-09 08:27:33
5 days ago
A one-year-old girl who was injured after a driver crashed into a daycare fence in Texas has tragically died.
Mkaya Amrani, who was just 14 months old, was one of several children hospitalized after a mother backed into another car and then into a fence at Excelled Montessori Plus Daycare Preschool in Scenic Oaks outside San Antonio on December 19.
Four other children were taken to the hospital but were quickly released. Mkaya stayed in the hospital, where she was unconscious in critical condition on life support until her death on Thursday, according to News 4 San Antonio.
'We had the darkest days of our life,' her father, Pibo Amrani, told KENS 5.
He said that when her arrived at the school to pick up his daughter, he watched paramedics carry Mkaya to the ambulance. He recalled his little girl looking lifeless.
In the ambulance ride to the hospital, he watched as medics frantically worked to restore oxygen to her brain and find a pulse for several minutes, according to KENS 5.
But the little girl's condition only worsened and the family tried to hold onto hope she would recover.
'We don't want to give up on her,' her father said. '[Her death] could have been prevented.'
Mkaya Amrani, 14 months old, was one of several children hospitalized after a mother backed into another car and into a fence at Excelled Montessori Plus Daycare Preschool in Scenic Oaks, Texas , on December 19
She died on Thursday after spending weeks in critical condition on life support after the crash
Mkaya's teacher, Alexia Rosales, 22, also died after being pinned under the vehicle with a child in her arms. It is unclear if Mkaya was the child Rosales was holding.
'[She was] protecting the baby,' Rosales' mother, Berenice, exclusively told DailyMail.com a day after the incident. 'You can tell she was a teacher from the heart. [The students] love her so much, they always wanted to be around her.'
The Amrani family is hoping to raise awareness after their daughter's death to prevent other children from facing the same fate.
'We're going to dedicate to spread awareness and if that means we got to drive by every daycare and make sure we raise the concerns of it being too close to high-traffic areas, we’ll do that,' her father told KENS 5.
The family does not believe playgrounds should be located near parking lots or other high-traffic areas.
Rosales and another teacher Alicia, 23, who asked to go only by her first name, had taken five or six students outside to play after a holiday performance around 4pm when a mother suffered a medical episode while picking up her kids.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a press conference that a parent was loading her kids into the vehicle when 'for whatever reason, she accelerated into another car.'
'She, in turn, pushed that other car, and then both cars ended up hitting a fence,' he said.
Mkaya's teacher, Alexia Rosales, 22, also died after being pinned under the vehicle with a child in her arms. It is unclear if Mkaya was the child Rosales was holding
'[She was] protecting the baby,' Rosales' mother, Berenice, told DailyMail.com a day after the incident. 'You can tell she was a teacher from the heart. '[The students] love her so much, they always wanted to be around her'
Rosales and at least one of the students were pinned under the car for 'some time,' the sheriff and Alicia said. The fire department had to use a hydraulic lift to remove the vehicle.
Alicia was pinned under the gate and was able to hand some of the children to others. The teacher received 12 stitches on her forehead, where she had a gash so deep it went 'all the way to the skull,' she told DailyMail.com at the time.
'We were outside playing with the kids, and next thing I know, I was looking up at the sky,' she recalled to DailyMail.com. The 'babies were okay,' she added.
Police do not believe the driver was under the influence and she does have past medical conditions that 'may have contributed to this,' according to Salazar.
'At this point we don't believe it has anything to do with intoxication or any sort of criminality,' he said at the time. Charges have not been filed against the mother.
Rosales' family remembered their daughter as bright and someone who loved her job and her students.
'She was an angel, she never gave me any problems,' her mother said. 'All she did was study and work... She was born to be a teacher.'
Despite her family's worries she wouldn't get paid enough working in education, Rosales continued forward with her students.
Rosales and another teacher Alicia, 23, who asked to go by her first name, had taken five or six students outside to play after a holiday performance around 4pm when a mother suffered a medical episode while picking up her kids, backing into a car and into a fence
Mkaya's family is hoping to raise awareness after their daughter's death. 'We're going to dedicate to spread awareness and if that means we got to drive by every daycare and make sure we raise the concerns of it being too close to high-traffic areas, we'll do that,' her father said
'She loved [it] since she was little,' her father, Carlos, said.
Rosales would come home to her parents and tell stories about the kids, and although she was tired, her mother said she was 'happy.'
Rosales was also finishing up her degree and was stressing about finals while working part-time at the daycare. She was nearly done with the semester - finishing with all As and Bs, her parents said.
She was due to graduate next year.
Her parents also remembered their daughter's kindness and said she was a 'simple' person who always cared about everyone and was family-oriented.
The last thing Berenice recalled her daughter saying to her was 'I love you, mom' as she left for the day.
