Marisa Harris, 22, of Olney, Maryland woman was killed in Virginia after a 12-year-old boy threw himself off an overpass and landed on her vehicle. She was driving under the Cedar Lane overpass on Interstate 66 when the boy, who is not being named, landed on her Ford Escape.
First responders pronounced Harris dead at the scene, while the boy survived.
Marisa Harris of Olney, Maryland, (left and right), 22, died when a 12-year-old boy threw himself off an overpass onto her car in Virginia.
The crash occurred at 4:18 pm near Exit 62 in Fairfax County as Harris was driving Eastbound when the boy threw himself 30 feet off this I-66 overpass. He survived and was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He has not been identified. It is still unclear as to why the teenager made the 30-foot drop.
Police are not naming the jumper but he was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital and is being treated for life-threatening injuries.
In the aftermath of the incident, Harris’ front seat passenger seat was able to stop the car on the left shoulder and was uninjured, police said.
Harris is seen left and right with her dog and parents. Because of the accident, the interstate between Nutley Street and Gallows Road was closed for several hours as police worked the scene.
According to the Centers for Disease Study and Control, between 1999 and 2015, 711 children aged 12 killed themselves in the US. Of that number, 507 were male and 204 female; the lowest rates were in 2007 and 2008 when 25 children committed suicide each year; by 2014 and 2015 that had risen to 68 and 56, respectively. During the same period 1,309 children aged 5-12 killed themselves in America or the equivalent of one every five days.
Harris is seen here during travels in happier times.
If you need to speak to a counselor, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1 (800) 273-8255.
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