'We're all heartbroken': Polk Co. mother mourns 5-year-old daughter killed by accused drunk driver

At just 5 years old, her mother Jacqueline Nichols said she touched the lives of those around her.

She loved getting ice cream with her grandfather and made friends everywhere she went. Described as the happiest child ever with sass and brains, her mother said she had dreams of becoming a veterinarian someday.

Those dreams were shattered Friday just past midnight when the Polk County Sheriff's Office said a driver, above the legal blood alcohol level, crashed head-on with Jacqueline Nichols' car.

"I just hope she knows how much she was loved and cared for, and that we will miss her greatly," Jacqueline said. "I wish I could hug and hold her and bring her home, but it's not possible, because of someone's bad decision."

Speaking with 10 Tampa Bay just minutes after being released from Lakeland Regional Health, Jacqueline Nichols said she wants to share her daughter's story to keep her memory alive.

She said doesn't remember the crash. She only found out her daughter was killed when she woke up at the hospital the next day.

"I'm going to get home and see all her stuff everywhere, and I don't know what to do," she said.

Inside Jacqueline Nichols' Dodge caravan was also Madeline's father Justin Jones. He is still recovering in the hospital and is expected to undergo spinal surgery.

With bruises all over her body, Jacqueline Nichols shared that Madeline also leaves behind her two older siblings. Both of them are struggling to cope and understand why this happened.

"They're 13 and 10. They've never dealt with this. They shouldn't have to," she said.

Deputies said they arrested 24-year-old Robert Harrison after he crashed his Ford F-350 into Jacqueline Nichols' Dodge Caravan on 42nd Street NW in Auburndale. He faces several DUI charges including DUI manslaughter.