A woman was killed when a suicidal 12-year-old boy jumped from a bridge over a US highway onto her car. Marisa W Harris, 22, died at the scene when the boy, who is not being named, fell onto her Ford Escape yesterday afternoon.
The impact of the boy landing on the vehicle incapacitated Marisa and a front seat passenger, believed to be her boyfriend, steered the vehicle onto the hard shoulder. They were driving east along Interstate 66 in Fairfax County, northern Virginia, at around 4.18pm. State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a statement that the passenger was unhurt but the boy suffered life-threatening injuries.
Marisa lived in Arlington and was studying clinical counselling at Marymount University. Her family said that she wanted to work with children with severe behavioural problems and was a high-achieving student. Speaking at the family home in Olney, Maryland, Marisa’s mother Leigh Miller said: ‘She was caring – I mean she had an absolute love for children.’
She added: ‘She was awesome. I miss her so much.’ Her father, Patrick Harris, said she was outgoing. He said: ‘She was fearless, she was absolutely fearless. She was loved by her friends, she was dearly loved by her family, she was admired by her peers, she was just a shining star.’ The road was closed for several hours while investigations took place throughout the evening.
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