Florida Evacuee Mom Dies Days After Baby Killed By Car

WOODSTOCK, GA -- The family forced to evacuate from Florida due to Hurricane Irma has been afflicted with another tragedy just days after their three-month-old baby died in a pedestrian collision in downtown Woodstock. Kaitlin Hunt, the mother of Riley Hunt, passed away Tuesday evening from injuries sustained in the same collision, the Cherokee Sheriff's Office told Patch.

Hunt, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was carrying Riley in her arms around 8:16 p.m. Sept. 9 when they and a family friend were struck by a Jeep Patriot driven by 17-year-old Zoe Reardon of Atlanta. Riley passed away Saturday evening, and Kaitlin Hunt and the friend, Kathy Deming of Marietta, were both transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital. Deming remains hospitalized and is "slowly recovering" from her injuries, sheriff's office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley said.

A GoFundMe account has been created to help the Hunt family pay for any expenses related to the tragedy, and their ordeal has tugged at the heart strings of thousands of Patch readers across the country. As of Wednesday morning, a little more than $41,000 has been contributed to the campaign (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

Hunt, her baby and Riley's father, Brandon Hunt, all lived in Port St. Lucie. However, Kaitlin Hunt's father made the decision to relocate his daughter and granddaughter to Georgia due to Hurricane Irma threatening Florida. Hunt, her father, Deming, Riley and a few others were enjoying a night out together in downtown Woodstock when the collision occurred. The scene of the collision -- Arnold Mill Road near Hubbard Road -- is near the site of the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater, which was hosting the final show of the city's 2017 Summer Concert Series.

"Brandon's whole life has been forever changed and will never be the same again," the GoFundMe page states. "He lost his only daughter/child and the love of his life since high school. It is possible (that) he may also go back to Florida to find destruction of his home or possibly no home at all. He has a lot of healing ahead of him."

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The Cherokee Sheriff's Office said the accident remains under investigation. Dozens of residents have inquired about the city's police presence to help residents safely cross the road during the concert. City spokesperson Brittany Duncan said Woodstock police have personnel assigned to Hubbard Road and other locations to help those crossing the street before the show and as the concert starts to wind down until the crowd has left the venue.

During the concert, personnel are assigned to patrol in and around the amphitheater. This particular accident, the agency added, was reported 45 minutes after Runway June's show kicked off. The city also addressed whether it would install a pedestrian crosswalk at the location.

"Installing a pedestrian crosswalk in that area has been looked at in the past with our city engineers," said spokesperson Brittany Duncan. "However, the challenge is the line of sight for eastbound traffic coming over the hill. We continue working through it with our city engineers."

If you'd like to contribute to help the Hunt family, visit the GoFundMe website.

Image via GoFundMe