Father Asks Driver To Come Forward After Teenage Daughter Killed In Hit-And-Run Crash

LEVITTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A Long Island family is struggling to make sense of a hit-and-run crash that killed a teenage college student.

Her devastated father is asking the driver to come forward.

"If you're going to have a daughter, this is the one," Ranjit Parmar told CBS2's Erin Logan, choking back tears. "We've been blessed."

The father of three girls is heartbroken after his 18-year-old daughter, Taranjit, was killed Thursday.

"It's just this senseless tragedy, which I cannot comprehend," he said.

Taranjit was less than a mile away from her home when she was killed. She was driving along Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown approaching a traffic light new Gardiner's Avenue, when a red pickup truck hit her SUV.

Part of the crash was caught on surveillance video. As Taranjit exited the SUV to exchange information with the other driver, she was speaking to her mother on the phone.

"She said, 'stop, oh no, stop,'" Ranjit said.

Police said the driver of the truck hit Taranjit and then drove off.

Her mother first drove to Adelphi University where she was a student. Then she drove up to her worst nightmare.

"She saw the police cars and then she saw my daugther's car -- Jeep," Ranjit said.

He said Taranjit was the leader of their family.

"We always teased her that you're not the mother," he said.

"We looked up to her for guidance. She was one of those people, like did everything right," he added.

Ranjit said he's proud to say his daughter was a success story. Her family and friends say they have no doubt the honors student would have achieved her goal to open a dental practice in her hometown.

He said he'll miss her hugs the most.

"I just want another hug, that's all," he said.

Ranjit implored the driver to come forward.

"Please, turn yourself in, call the police," he said. "At that moment, maybe you lost your mind because you got scared. But what about the next day? Why aren't you coming in and taking responsibility?"

"Perhaps there will be an opportunity where he and I can sit and kind of like close this matter," he added.

The family says Taranjit's would have turned 19 Tuesday.