Bethany Harris (19) jumped from a vehicle after the driver refused to slow down and she died 15 hours later
Published: Jul 06, 2010 @ 1:29 AM
Bethany Harris (19)
Date: Apr 13, 2010
Cause of Death: Jumped from Car
Location: Northumberland County, PA
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Bethany Harris urged the driver of the car to slow down or stop, and when the driver refused, she became so scared that she jumped out of the car, according to state police.
Harris hit her head diving out of the vehicle, and the 19-year-old died 15 hours later, state police said.
The driver, Thomas L. Schorr, 29, of Millersburg, has been charged in connection with her death on April 13.
Schorr was arraigned Friday on 12 charges, including accident involving death while not properly licensed. Police say he was driving with a suspended license. He was released on his own recognizance.
Harris, 19, of Dalmatia, had been a backseat passenger, the arrest affidavit alleges.
The incident occurred at about 4 p.m. on April 12 near the intersection of McKees Road and Lenker Lane in Lower Mahanoy Township in Northumberland County, state police say.
As Schorr was driving, he failed to negotiate a curve on McKees Road and struck an embankment, causing the driver's side front tire to deflate. The driver continued in the wrong lane onto Lenker Lane, state police said.
Harris' boyfriend, Joel Nies, 21, of Northumberland, also a backseat passenger, accused Schorr of driving too fast and claimed he ran a stop sign and nearly hit a mail box, the affidavit alleges.
From the time Harris was picked up at her home, a short distance away, she pleaded with Schorr to slow down or stop driving, Nies told police. After the car hit the embankment, Harris jumped from the car, hitting her head, he said.
A state police accident reconstructionist determined the car was traveling at least 41 mph on the curve, where the speed limit is 35.
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