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
123456, you obviously are not a parent and I wasn’t bashing this mother if you could read and not just harp on one thing. I said no one parent is perfect, I know I’m not but I have driven in every state and Canada and I HAVE NEVER LET MY CHIDLREN RIDE WITHOUT A SEATBELT and if this young girl was so sleepy then the mother should have stood her ground and let her sleep in the seat with the seat belt on. I also don’t let my kids run around with sciccors or knives but that doesn’t mean other parents don’t.
Your mom needs to be thankful everyday that nothing bad ever happened to you on those long road trips where she let you sleep in the back of her bronco and you need to start reading the whole post not just what applies to you.
Driving is NOT A PRIVILEDGE its something you earn and obviously some people never earn that priviledge.
You sound 25.
dee65…you said “Yes, back in the day you may have riden in the back of a pick up or cargo area and never wore a seat belt but unfortunately the world changes and you have more aggressive drivers on the road and therefore you are put more at risk for fatalities.“
Probably in response to what I said, however I am only 25 so I am not sure if my childhood constitutes “back in the day”. My childhood involved the late 80’s and 90’s. Driving has not evolved so much that it made it ok for me to ride in the back then and not ok now. My point is, we all do things that we THINK are ok and its not until something happens to us or someone else that we change our ways.
My mother didnt see a big deal in letting me sleep away long trips in the back of the blazer and for this mother, it was probably the same situation. They were from MD and it was 4am. The girl was probably tired and trying to get to a spot where she could sleep. She was 12, not 3 or 5 or something, so there is a big difference.
The point is, everyone needs to back off of this woman and allow her to grieve. I am pretty sure she will have enough blame from herself to not have all of you “perfect-never-do-anything-wrong-ever-in-life-know-it-all” people putting her down more.
ghgirl, Then you as an “adult” and “parent” would opt out to pay a higher insurance rate so you didn’t have to wear a seat belt and run the risk of dying while driving without one and leave your kids ORPHANED or worse yet you kill someone else but you have the “good luck” of surving w/out the seat belt. As adults and parents we must make informed and sometimes not so popular decisions to keep our children safe. No one parent is perfect however I think from all the posts on here we can all agree that the child should have never been riding in the cargo area, period. Yes, I’m praying for her family and she’s in a better place and her mother will live with that guilt for the rest of her life which is worse than any punishment the law can ever give her.
This is a forum for views on news and as so many say freedom of expression. Yes, back in the day you may have riden in the back of a pick up or cargo area and never wore a seat belt but unfortunately the world changes and you have more aggressive drivers on the road and therefore you are put more at risk for fatalities. Irresponsibility leads to more laws having to be enacted to save us from ourselves. Like I’ve said before common sense should be the norm but its not and so some have to have their hand held all through life.
May this angel rest in peace and be in the glory of the Lord. May her mother one day find peace in her heart and know that even though this tragedy took place it may have been to help save others.
tman is right…I admit I have at times not worn my seatbelt (quick trips to the store, ets.) but I always wear my seatbelt on the Interstate and I NEVER allow my children to ride in my car without a seatbelt. A parents primary responsibility to their children is to ensure their safety!!
I feel for the mother and the family for the loss. What about the tractor truck driver? That person was not at fault but will forever have this haunt them because the mother let her child ride in a vehicle without a seat belt. So sad.
This isnt about doing everything right, who does. This is only about making a child wear a seatbelt. Very simple for most. And since doing this simple thing usually prevents DEATH or SERIOUS injury in an accident, ALL parents should practice this rule.
tman70043 and others…
Please pat yourselves on the back for winning parent of the year! Because by the way you all type, you seem to be perfect at raising your children and knowing how to prevent every possible incident that could ever occur!
dee.. I don’t think anyone has a problem with the laws that require seatbelts for minors.. I believe what you are referring to is the “effort” to increase compliance (and revenue) by agressively ticketing for these offenses. I believe there were proponents that said that ADULTS should be able to opt out of having to wear seatbelts if they could pay some additional insurance to do so.. (I always wear mine..BTW.. It is smart.. but since failure to buckle up or wear a helmet is mostly an issue for the person not doing it.. carrying an increased amount of insurance might allow them the “choice.“)
This isnt about what someone does with oneself in a vehicle. Its about the responsibility of having a child in the car and making sure they are in the seatbelt. I’ve driven with three children ages 2 - 16 back and forth to Louisiana multiple times, not counting 50 other long raod trips without having to ALLOW a crying child to be roaming around the vehicle or laying down in the cargo area. The more excuses parents hear to allow the more they will think, “well if something happens, I had a good enough reason.“ Stop making excuses to break the law, and more importantly put an innocent childs life at risk. And, like I said in previous entries, I’m very sad for the family. I’ve prayed for them. But, parents need to stop making excuses to put children at risk of DEATH!
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