‘I was so proud to be her mother’: Family mourns daughter killed in hit-and-run crash

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) - Whether it was traveling, cooking, or dancing, Ellie Sims’ family said she had a passion for life.

“She was like a bright force,” her mother Kristen Sims said, “She lived life on her own terms, and we loved her for that. To know her was to love her for that.”

Ellie Sims’ life was cut short when the 20-year-old was hit and killed on Monday evening while in a crosswalk in Tallahassee, Florida.

Her older sister Anna says it is something still difficult to understand.

“I just remember telling my mom, ‘No, there’s no way that it’s our Ellie out of 30,000 students that crossed that crosswalk every single day,” she shared.

Now, instead of Ellie Sims heading home for the summer from Florida State University – her family is in Florida picking up her belongings.

“There’s just such a hole now that’s left by her absence. It’s just such a senseless act,” Kristen Sims said. “I was literally just here last weekend. I was so proud to be her mother.”

Ellie Sims was in Tallahassee finishing her sophomore year at FSU after growing up in Franklin and graduating from Page High School.

Dr. Katie Hill, principal of Page High School, released the following statement on Ellie Sims’ passing as the community mourns her death:

“The Page High family is deeply saddened to hear of Ellie’s passing, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family.

Ellie will be greatly missed by her teachers, coaches, teammates, peers and all who knew and loved her, and we will remember her for her sweet smile, her kind spirit and her compassion for all.”

That kind spirit her family says touched communities in Tennessee and Florida.

“She was just becoming this beautiful woman that I was very, very proud to know,” Ellie Sims’ father said. “Love those people that you love and appreciate the life that you have.”

A petition has since been started to add a traffic light at the crosswalk where Ellie Sims was killed. The Sims family said they believe their daughter would still be alive if one had been installed earlier.

Authorities announced Tuesday that 18-year-old Willis Trueblood Jr. was arrested for leaving the scene of the fatal hit-and-run collision.

A GoFundMe is also available to help the family with funeral expenses.

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