Crime & Safety
Girl, 12, Dies After She Crashes Car Into Tree: Howard County Police
A 12-year-old girl has died after she crashed a car into a tree. A 36-year-old male non-relative riding in the car was seriously injured.
HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 12-year-old girl driving a 2017 Toyota Corolla southbound on Broken Land Parkway south of Cradlerock Way left the road and crashed into a tree Sunday shortly after 2 a.m.
Josseline Molina-Rivas was pronounced dead at the scene. A 36-year-old passenger, Mario Arturo-Artiga, was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he remains in serious condition, reports the Howard County Police Department.
Police tracked down the registered owner of the Toyota and determined that both the driver and passenger lived in the same apartment on Basket Ring Road in Columbia with numerous family members and residents. The two were not related and it is unclear why they were out in the vehicle at 2 a.m. or why the 12-year-old girl was driving, the police department disclosed.
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Police believe speed was a factor in the crash. They are also investigating whether either occupant was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The investigation is ongoing.
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