HAMMOND - A mother is calling for drivers to prioritize safety this summer after her child was struck by a car while getting ice cream.

Kateria Wells said her 11-year-old daughter Malai Dickens likes to spend time outdoors.

"A little kid is happy to get ice cream, she was excited to go get her ice cream, but after getting hit, all that went away," Wells said.

Wells said she and her husband had just stepped inside when it happened. Dickens ran from the ice cream truck to her yard just across the street. While crossing the street, a car struck Dickens.

"I was scared, I was shocked, I couldn't believe what had happened," Wells said. "The person in the car who hit her said, 'Keep your effing kids out the road.'"

Ice Cream Man Benjamin Guillot runs Captain's Tasty Treats with his wife and has for 14 years.

"This is the first time we've ever seen a situation like this, where we've seen a little girl get hit. Thank God she's OK," Guillot said.

Guillot told WBRZ his team does everything it can to ensure the safest delivery of sweet, icy treats to warm, smiling faces. There are signs plastered on the truck cautioning people to watch for children. In the video from the incident, two of Guillot's employees can be seen running to help the child. Guillot said one of the employees went to the hospital to check on Dickens and her family.

Guillot said it all could have been avoided had the driver of the car been more careful.

"If I was a betting man, I would have to say she was doing at least twice the speed limit. At least 30 miles an hour, there was no doubt. It could have been eliminated, either wait behind the car because you see the ice cream truck vending ice cream or just creep past," Guillot said.

Guillot wants drivers to slow down this summer and every summer after.

"The kids are out enjoying themselves, getting an ice cream. Don't take that away from them. Let them enjoy it. Slow down, let them get past. If you have to, wait 30 seconds behind the truck," Guillot said.

Wells agreed.

"When you know there are kids in the neighborhood, just slow down. Especially in these small little subdivisions, it has kids just walking and playing. You have to slow down. It could be my kid today and somebody else's tomorrow and it could be even worse," Wells said.

The Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office said Lance Paul, the driver of the vehicle, stopped and called 911 after the crash, and then left the scene while on the phone with dispatch due to feeling threatened. The Sheriff's Office also said the driver was issued a summons and faces charges of hit and run, careless operation and driving without a license.