‘She just lit up the room’: Toddler dies after being hit by car at a pumpkin patch, family says

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) - A Tennessee toddler died after being hit by a car at a pumpkin patch, according to her family.

The family of 21-month-old Nyxailia Hinton said they want answers after she died Tuesday.

The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said she fell and was hit by a car driven by a family friend at a pumpkin patch. However, details have not been given about how or where she fell.

“She just lit up the room,” said Peandra Hinton, the child’s mother. “If you were having a bad day, you see Zayla, she’s gonna turn it all around.”

Hinton said her daughter was with a babysitter who took her to the pumpkin patch without permission. She said her daughter was with a group of people she did not know.

Hinton rushed to the hospital, where her daughter died from her injuries Tuesday, according to the sheriff’s office.

Hinton said the past 48 hours have been a whirlwind, adding the hardest part has been waking up without her daughter.

“The fact that I couldn’t wake up this morning to my baby, it really tore me up,” Hinton said.

The family is planning funeral arrangements, and Nyxailia’s father said they want justice.

“We want justice for her. And we ain’t letting up, I don’t care if someone’s feelings get hurt, this has torn up her whole family. She wasn’t even 22 months old,” he said.

The sheriff’s office said the incident remains under investigation. No charges have been filed.