Only on 4: Parents of St. Louis teen who fell off SUV, was fatally struck, speak out
“...that’s what hurts the most, the way she died. Nyla was out having fun...”
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Police say a teen was struck and killed by a St. Louis fire truck late Saturday night.
The teen was later identified as 18-year-old Nyla Simmons. Her parents ed the teen as a social butterfly who loved a good time. Now, her parents are asking people to learn from her mistakes and be safe while having fun.
The accident happened around 11:20 p.m. Saturday. A night of fun that took a tragic turn.
Police say an Escalade stopped at a red light at the corner of Chouteau and South Compton. Once the truck turned left, Nyla Simmons, who was dancing on top of the car, fell off. Moments later, she was hit by a fire truck that was responding to a call.
Nyla Simmons’ parents were at a loss for words trying to describe what happened to their daughter on Saturday.
“We aren’t ever going to be the same after this... I’m still in shock right now,” said Everett and Letrice Simmons.
They say Nyla was attending a friend’s prom send-off before the accident.
“We just wanted the best for Nyla, the incident is just tragic the way she died but, that’s what hurts the most, the way she died. Nyla was out having fun, that’s what she liked: having fun, hanging out with her friends,” said her mother, Letrice.
Nyla was the youngest of five. She graduated from Parkway North High School last year and was set to start cosmetology school at Grabber School of Hair Design on Monday.
“I’m highly distraught that I don’t get to see what she was going to become,” said Everett Simmons, her father.
Her parents say they don’t blame her friends, who she was in the car with, they were just teens being teens. The Simmons’ say no one could have guessed the night would end with Nyla losing her life.
“We’ve all been young before, we all have done some type of thing where it could have ended up bad for us,” said Simmons.
The parents want everyone to learn from Nyla’s mistakes, hoping this incident can stop another teen from doing the same.
“We want all her people and her friends to take this and learn from it,” said Everett Simmons.
“Don’t get on top of a car, ya’ll, just don’t get on top, just be safe,” said Letrice Simmons.
ing Nyla Simmons as their youngest baby, who lit up every room she went into.
“Nyla was going to be an entrepreneur, Nyla was going to be great in this world, and it’s tragic that she’s not here,” said Everett Simmons.
Although police say the investigation is still ongoing, everyone involved did stay at the scene and cooperated with police.
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