STEUBENVILLE — Mitia Pruitt wasn’t perfect.

She’d made her share of bad choices and landed herself in some tough spots. But to those who know her best, like her big sister, Ava Marie Robinson, and longtime friend Semira Pame, none of that matters.

What brings them to tears even now, they say, is that 17-year-old Mitia died in Cobb County, Ga., hundreds of miles from home, in a horrific accident that, a week later, still isn’t making sense. Even worse, they don’t have the money to bring her home and give her a proper funeral.

“This was an unexpected tragedy no one was prepared for emotionally, mentally or financially,” Ava said. “Dealing with the sudden loss of my baby sister is literally destroying me.”

The two of them shared a mom, Nancy Tipton. Mitia’s father, Duane, is in jail. There are three other siblings — Darious Robinson, and Tyzon and Dy’Asha Pruitt.

“Every morning around 8 a.m. Tia would call me and say, ‘Siissterrrrr,’ then she would tell me stories about the crazy and wild stuff she had going on,” Ava said. “She never called me by my name, it was always ‘sister’ because she took pride in family. Ever since the accident, I stare at my mom every morning hoping and praying she calls just to tell me one last story.

“I miss her laugh so much. She had a very distinctive laugh that made everyone around her laugh. She had a beautiful smile that could brighten anyone’s day.”

Mitia and two of her friends — Chloe Dudley, 18, of Xenia and Maniya Connelly, 19, of Akron — were killed Aug. 30 near Atlanta when the car they were riding in rounded a bend too fast, crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and left the roadway, crashing into a tree and rolling over. All three girls were thrown from the wreckage.

The male driver suffered minor injuries and a male passenger walked away.

“I’m not sure she personally knew the men that were involved in the wreck,” Ava said. “She just knew her friends knew them, and she was so adventurous, she was up for the ride.”

Semira said Mitia told her she’d gone with the other girls to Atlanta to drop somebody off.

“She didn’t tell me how many people, nor which gender (they were),” Semira said. “Mitia knew what kind of friend I was — I was always getting on her about going to school and getting a job. She was staying at my house and told me she was going to Akron; the next day she texted me and told me she was in Atlanta. I felt she told me because she knows how I am, she told me her every move.

“Mitia let me know what was going on before she even left Atlanta, which led me to think she was scared,” Semira added. “She texted around 6 p.m. Sunday that she was stuck. I asked her what she wanted me to do, she had no ID or anything. Within us texting, she said, ‘I’m sick. Need my phone go off tonight. I aint gonna make it back hom,’ then she texted, ‘love you though.’ So yes, I think my friend was scared.”

Ava, though, said her sister told her they were having car trouble and didn’t think the one they were driving would get them back to Ohio. “I told her that the next morning, I was going to get her a bus ticket, but it was already (too late) by the next morning,” she said.

Ava uses words like “strong” and “determined” to describe her sister, calling her a “very caring person. And going through so much at a young age made her a humble person.”

Semira said they’d been friends since the fourth grade, when her family moved to Steubenville.

“Mitia and her siblings … were walking by as we were moving in,” she recalled. “I think it was her idea (for them) to help us move in, and after that we were super close.”

She said Mitia considered herself the “big” sister, even though there was only three days difference between the two of them. Mitia actually lived with the Pame family off-and-on for years, she added.

“She loved everyone who loved her,” she said. “What would make her mad or upset was not keeping your word. When you said you would do something she expected you to do it, whether it was for her or not.”

Ava said her little sister loved being around her family and friends.

“It was always a good time when she was around, she had a crazy and enjoyable personality,” she said. “Definitely one of a kind. I wouldn’t have traded her for the world.”

She described her sister as adventurous, adding she’d loved school “but once our brother Darious was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, it took a big toll on her attendance. She never really talked about the future because she was so busy and focused on fulfilling her life in the present.”

“Mitia was always laughing and playing around,” she added “I would always say to her, ‘You play too much.’ (But) I would give anything just to be able to joke with her again.”

Both girls say what they want people need to understand about Mitia “is that when she loved, she loved hard.”

“There was never a need to question her love for you because you could feel that she genuinely loved you,” Ava said. “There was nothing she wouldn’t do for the people she cared about and surrounded herself with.”

Gregory-Martin Funeral Home pitched in to help — organizing a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the cost of bringing Mitia home. As of Sunday, about $1,300 had been raised.

Those wishing to make a donation can do so at GoFundMe.com by searching Mitia Pruitt, or in person at the funeral home, located at 711 South St., Steubenville. Or, for information, contact Gregory-Martin at (740) 282-1234.