Mom, 20, Dies After She’s Hit by 2 Cars While Crossing the Street 1 Day After Christmas

A young mother died just one day after Christmas after she was fatally struck by two vehicles while crossing the street in Nashville.

In a press release shared by the Metro Nashville Police on Saturday, Dec. 27, the department identified 20-year-old Kira Phillips as the pedestrian who was fatally struck on Bell Road Friday evening, Dec. 26, around 5:40 p.m. local time.

Her identity was previously withheld as her next of kin was notified.

A preliminary investigation indicated that Phillips “was in the continuous left turn lane on Bell Road when she was struck by the driver of a northbound Nissan Versa who was turning left onto Rice Road.” 

“She was thrown into a lane of travel and struck by a second vehicle. She died at the scene. Both drivers stayed on scene and showed no signs of impairment,” according to the press release. 

Nashville’s WSMV spoke with the victim’s family and friends, including Lateeka Brooks, the mother of Phillips’ boyfriend, who said they had no idea the 20-year-old had been killed until the following day.

“She had went missing,” Brooks said. “We didn’t know anything. We were trying to reach out to her, contact her. We just was kind of nervous, didn’t know what was going on because it’s not normal for her to just disappear like that.”

Those closest to the 20-year-old said she was in the process of planning her daughter’s first birthday party, which was just weeks away.

“She was planning to go all out for her baby’s birthday party,” Brooks added.

“Kira loved her baby with everything in her. She lived for her baby,” her friend, Tawanta Crutcher, told the news station.

Crutcher said her friend’s death “happened so suddenly,” and has left them in “shock.”

Both women said Phillips was a hard worker who did whatever needed to be done to provide for her daughter. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Crutcher also described Phillips as “quiet.”

“She loved her mom and her little sisters,” her friend said in an on-camera interview. “Kira, she always had a smile on her face, and that’s one thing that’s gonna be missed the most, her quiet smile.”