Girl, 7, dies on way to father-daughter dance

WILDWOOD, Mo. -- A 7-year-old St. Louis County girl on her way to a father-daughter dance died after being hit by a vehicle as she crossed a roadway near a school.

St. Louis County police said in a news release an SUV turning left out of the parking lot of Babler Elementary in Wildwood on Saturday evening struck Rachel Bick of Ballwin, Missouri.

Rachel's mother, Susan Bick, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday the family is devastated.

She said her daughter was excited to pick out a white lace dress for the dance.

Police said Rachel and her father walked from the parking lot of a nearby school and onto the highway, where Rachel was struck. Rachel's grandmother, Barb Nethery, said her father feels he failed her.

Police said the SUV driver is cooperating.