Teen driver hits mother, daughter, dog in Ottawa; family responds with compassion

OTTAWA, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.

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A mother and her 11-year-old daughter are spreading a message of compassion after they were injured and their dog was killed in a car accident Tuesday morning in Ottawa, Kansas.

Kaytee Kelly and her daughter Raven say they have forgiven the driver, and they want him to forgive himself, too.

READ MORE | Mother, daughter injured after being struck near West 11th, Cypress streets in Ottawa

Kelly, Raven and Ozzie, their dog, were walking to school when a 16-year-old male hit them with a car at the intersection of 11th and Cypress streets.

Lauren Leslie/KSHB

Kelly says they were hit while they paused to put a leash on Ozzie before crossing the intersection. The mother and daughter say they make the same walk to school almost every day, with Ozzie walking unleashed by their side. But they put the leash on Ozzie as a precaution when close to school.

Kelly and Raven were transported to a hospital for treatment, and police say the driver stayed at the scene of the accident.

"I know my mom would be OK because for her, she's been through a lot," Raven said. "I saw her awake, so I was like, at least she's still OK."

Kelly has six staples in her head, four broken ribs, road rash and a "nasty" bruise on her right hip.

Raven says she has pain in her back, neck and head, and she has scrapes and road burns.

Kelly is deaf, so she both wrote and signed her interview responses.

Lauren Leslie/KSHB

"Please know that I forgive you," Kelly wrote. "My family is hurting, but I know you are hurting, too. Please accept help and seek help when you need it. This will be a long journey of healing.

Raven says even though she doesn't know the driver, she still cares for him.

"I feel bad for the driver, because when I woke up, he looked horrified when I saw him," she said.

The mother and daughter also want the community to forgive the teen.

"Please remember that there are so many emotions surrounding this incident, but please don't respond with anger or blame toward the driver," Kelly wrote in her response. "Accidents happen."

Kaytee Kelly and Raven

As for Ozzie, Kelly and Raven say she will be missed.

"We did a lot of roughhousing, and we were really fun," Raven said. "It's almost as if I had an older sister."

Kelly said Ozzie taught her what it means to be a "dog mom."

"She taught me so much about love and patience," Kelly wrote. "She was such a sassy girl — honestly, just like having another child."

KSHB 41 reporter Lily O'Shea Becker reached out to the superintendent of the Ottawa School District and has not yet heard back.

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