Following I-66 child jumper, there is hope for those considering suicide

A 12-year-old boy jumped from a highway overpass on Interstate 66 Saturday afternoon.

He landed on an SUV and killed the 22-year-old driver.

The passenger in the SUV, and the child who jumped from the bridge survived. The child remained in critical condition on Monday.

Here’s the direct account from Virginia State Police:

At 4:18 p.m., Saturday (Oct. 28), Virginia State Police responded to an incident in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 at the Cedar Lane overpass near Exit 62 for Nutley Street in Fairfax County.

Based on the investigation and witness accounts, a 12-year-old male jumped from the Cedar Lane overpass. The juvenile landed on a 2005 Ford Escape traveling east on I-66. The impact incapacitated the vehicle’s driver, so the 23-year-old male, front-seat passenger steered the vehicle off the interstate. The Ford came to a stop on the left shoulder against the Jersey wall.

The driver of the Ford, Marisa W. Harris, 22, of Olney, Md., died at the scene. The front-seat passenger was not injured.
The juvenile was transported to Fairfax Inova Hospital and is still being treated for life-threatening injuries.

The State Police Fairfax Division Crash Reconstruction Team and Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Fairfax Field Office personnel responded to the scene to assist with the investigation, which remains ongoing at this time. At this stage, the incident is being investigated as a suicide.

Police have not identified the boy.

Those who work with those in crisis tell us that it is impossible to know precisely what led to the boy jumping from the bridge unless they have worked with him directly.

“What drives someone to attempt to take their own life is complex, and without knowing this particular individual’s story it’s impossible to say what the exact triggers were. It is important to know, however, that there is treatment available for depression and there is hope. Therapy and possibly medications, intense work with families and loved ones, educating school personnel for signs of depression and treatment options are all ways to offer help,” stated Rappahannock Area Community Services Board Executive Director Jane Yaun in an email.

The hotline for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255