Fundraiser to Help Pay Funeral Costs for 5-Year-Old Killed in Crash

MANASSAS, VA — A GoFundMe page has been created for the family of Nyla Mitchell, a 5-year-old girl killed Monday morning in four-vehicle, chain-reaction crash on westbound I-66 in Haymarket.

Nearly $14,000 already has been raised, with 245 people pledging donations.

The money will be used, in part, to pay for her burial.

The crash occurred a few minutes after 9 a.m. near mile marker 41 as a line of traffic was approaching a construction zone, according to police spokesperson Corinne Geller.

The driver of a 2012 Nissan Titan pickup failed to brake in time and ran into a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. Two other vehicles were then struck in the chain reaction.

Mitchell was secured in a booster seat in the backseat of the Cobalt but died at the scene. Her parents, who were in the front seat, were flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital with injuries that were serious but not life threatening.

The driver of the Nissan, Dustin D. Skidgel, 27, of Markham, Va., was treated at a nearby hospital. He was charged with reckless driving. The other two drivers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Photo of Nyla Mitchell used with permission of Charmaine Rhones