12-year-old girl killed, mother critically injured in I-95 wreck
A 12-year-old Maryland girl was killed this morning and her mother was critically injured in a single-vehicle wreck that closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 for hours south of Petersburg.
Shiane Dixon of Boyds, Md., died at the scene after she was thrown from the vehicle and was struck by a tractor-trailer, State Police said.
The girl was riding without a seat belt in the cargo area of a 2000 Lincoln Navigator that ran off the right side of the southbound interstate road about 4:39 a.m., State Police said. Shel was thrown into the northbound lane of the interstate after the driver overcorrected, struck the left guardrail, and overturned. She was struck by a truck that was traveling northbound.
The driver of the vehicle, Diane P. Nixon, of Boyds, Md., suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown by a State Police Med-Flight helicopter to VCU Medical Center. She was wearing a seat belt.
Nixon’s 16-year-old son, Hassan, was partially ejected from the vehicle and taken to VCU Medical Center by ambulance with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening. He was wearing a seat belt.
Two other passengers, Jordan Lusane, 18, and Taylor Scott, 12, were taken by ambulance to Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Lusane also is a member of the Dixon family, and Scott is a family friend. Both were wearing seat belts.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.
The wreck closed the northbound lanes and one southbound lane of I-95 at Exit 45, where the highway crosses U.S. Route 301.
Reader Reactions
This little girl was the sister of the Colts’ Raheem Brock.
This is very tragic =‘(. I can only imagine how much turmoil the family is facing right now. May God bless you and your family and rest in peace.
CKay,
Those that are close to this family shouldnt be reading these comments. Better than her? If my stating I buckle my children and dont deviate from ever doing that means I’m better ,then thats your opinion. I think if you read all the “COMMENTS”, most of us are stating how too often parents dont buckle up their children. Noone has stated she deserves this to have happened to her. I’m pretty sure the woman took a gamble (thinking what are the chances) so her daughter could sleep in the cargo area. The point is too many parents do this and it needs to stop. You dont know how I drive or anyone else, so dont make preconceived notions that others break laws so you feel better about this woman doing what she did or how you drive even. Another point, this is a comments area, anyone can speak their mind, you dont have to like it. If you want everyone ONLY stating good things about his, or just brushing it under the rug, this is not the right forum. She’s in the public eye for the horrible mistake that was made so the public will often state thier own opinion and comments.
I am very sad to hear that the mother is not doing well. And someone else made the comment about “what about the tractor trailer driver”, wow, I cant even imagine what he has to live with. My prayers do go out for all involved with this.
So many of you are harping on the “What should have happened” as if people are going to read what you have to say and think, “Wow, I never thought of that.“ Truth be told: This story is enough in and of itself to either (a) have people realize the need to take every safety precaution while driving or (b) (for the people that think “Yeah but it won’t happen to me”) have people keep on ignoring it.
Let’s quit harping on the obvious. Let’s not even play jury and decide what should happen to Shiane’s mother. Truth is, she is not doing well physically and may not survive. Let’s, for at least the time being, put down our fingers and pray for her physical healing. Once the Good Lord answers that prayer (one way or another) we can look at all other angles. Please, quit the appearance of you’re-better-than-her. Truth is, you’re not. No one is. We all make mistakes. Just because you “always have your kids buckle up” doesn’t mean you don’t speed or not turn on your turn signal. ALL of those actions, and then some, could result in a tragedy.
Let’s just pray. The family and friends of this dear girl need it.
Thank you MeToo. I was wondering if anyone was going to see what I wrote about the poor truck driver. I can’t even begin to imagine what that person is going through. I’m glad that he wasn’t injured physically but mentally, he will be ruined forever. People, WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS!!! Make sure your children are wearing their seat belts or don’t start driving until they have them on.
Also, (in my opinion) the people who become career felons as adults were probably teens who made ‘mistakes’ and had no consequences (at home AND with the law) for them. Clearly they learned their lesson… just wasn’t the right lesson.
123456- the point of harping on this woman for not having her child properly secured in the car is because somewhere some dummy is doing the same thing right now. By the grace of god their child will get home just find, but like dee65 and varesident have said, do you really want to take that chance? Is the hypothetical outcome worth risking? Hopefully someone read this article and learns from this woman’s mistake and will keep their child (and themselves) buckled.
Does this mother deserve to be crucified, not completely. I think the pain of losing her child and knowing it is her fault is almost enough guilt to last a thousand lifetimes. Should she be let off scott free? Nope. You can’t make stupid decisions and expect to just walk away (figurative and literally). There is a reason there are seat belt laws. I’d rather not see her go to jail, as I don’t see what purpose that would ultimately serve, but she should be saddled with a restricted license, some community service or participation in programs like MADD or Click it or Ticker or something that promotes safe driving practices. Maybe she’ll think twice next time she hits the road and doesn’t make her kids buckle up.
If we keep letting everyone off for ‘little mistakes’ whats going to happen when all the little ones become common place and the big ones (like, manslaughter for example) replace the little things. Are we going to have to start letting people get by with murder because it was a mistake? (Officer, I swear, I take it back, I didn’t mean to, I’m so sorry. Okay, sounds good ma’am.)
If we don’t hold people accountable for even the most minor of offenses, how can we hold anyone accountable for something malicious? A law is a law and if she hadn’t broken it from the get go there’s a pretty darn good chance that girl would be alive and well today.
On another note, to the poster who mentioned the truck driver… I hadn’t thought of that. How terrible that he has to be put through this. Who should suffer for his grief?
Vareisdent, agree with you. Apparently people take it for granted that because nothing ever happens to them that a tragedy will never affect them.
123456: I did let be and I prayed for that child and her mother. I work in an idustry where I see EVERDAY the effects of driving without seat belts, being on the cell phone, texting, reading, eating,etc. People never think that a vehicle is a deadly weapon so like Varesident said they get complacent. We MAY let our children do alot of things that can hurt them or even kill them but again who’s responsibilty is it to at least try to PREVENT THE TRAGEDY?
This terrible tradgey serves to remind us you can never get complacent in a motor vehicle, not even for a minute. A minute is all it takes to die unexpectedly and violently. Crashes are preventable. Many errors like drowsy driving, unbelted occupants have manifested into the sad and tradgic death of a young person. This should be valuable lesson to the rest of us. Don’t get so comfortable with your own “good driving skills” that you forget you are sharing the road with other Humans! Humans are prone to make mistakes. Mistakes on the road Kill. Buckle Up, Pay Attention, and Slow Down for safe driving.
dee65….To correct you, I AM a mother…to a beautiful 5 yr old girl. And while today I can honestly say I have never and would never let her ride without a seatbelt (and in her case, a booster seat), you never know what you MAY let your children do, that may end up killing them.
My point is, there is NO point in pointing out that the child should have been buckled up. A child lost their life and a mother lost her child. Leave it be.
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