A 12-year-old boy who attempted suicide killed a driver Saturday after he leaped from a Virginia highway overpass and landed on her car, police said.
Virginia State Police told WRC that Marisa Harris, 22, of Olney, Maryland, was killed instantly after the boy fell on her Ford Escape traveling on Interstate 66.
The boy survived and is being treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital for life-threatening injuries.
Her boyfriend, who sat in the passenger seat, did not suffer any injuries and steered the car to the side of the highway away from traffic, police said.
Harris’s mother told WRC that the situation is more devastating because her daughter could have helped the child if she had the opportunity in her chosen profession.
The Washington Post reports that Harris was a graduate student who studied clinical counseling at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, and came from a family of psychologists.
WDCW reports that authorities are investigating the incident as a suicide attempt.
Marymount University officials broke the news of Harris’s death in an email to students.
“Every student contributes immeasurably to the community we create together at Marymount University. The loss of any student, particularly in so heartbreaking a manner, grieves us all,” the school said in a statement.
Fairfax County Public Schools sent an email to parents Monday advising them to keep an eye out for signs of mental illness in their children.
Anyone who is in crisis can call 911, text NEEDHELP to 85511, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, or send a text to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741.
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