MENTOR, Ohio — A 10-year-old girl has died Friday after the car she was in was hit by a semitrailer on I-90 westbound, Mentor police confirmed.
At about 12:26 a.m., Mentor police and fire responded to a two-car crash on I-90 westbound between State Route 306 and State Route 615.
A 2008 Chevy, driven by a 37-year-old woman from South Euclid, was struck by a semitrailer. The impact of the crash pushed the Chevy down an embankment.
Inside the Chevy was a 6-year-old child and a 10-year-old girl.
Mentor police said the driver and the 6-year-old child are in critical condition.
The 10-year-old girl, identified as Ji Ferguson of South Euclid, was pronounced dead after injuries sustained in the crash.
The driver of the semitrailer was not injured, police said.
The crash caused I-90 westbound to be closed for approximately 4 hours while the crash was investigated by authorities. The westbound lanes have since been reopened.
Listen to the 911 call below:
Police said no charges have been filed at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
The South Euclid Lyndhurst School District said it will hold grief counseling next week for students and staff and have other bereavement resources available.
The district released the following statement on Friday:
The South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools will be providing grief counseling and other bereavement support resources throughout the week of Monday, January 28, 2019, in light of the sudden and tragic loss of one of its very own elementary students, Ji Ferguson, earlier this morning. The leadership of the South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools respectfully asks the community to honor the privacy of the family, friends and other individuals who are closely involved with this matter, to allow them the requisite time and space to mourn the tragic loss of this beautiful child. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of those involved at this sad and heartbreaking time.
Mentor police originally reported that a 9-year-old girl died in the crash. This story has been updated with the correct information.
