In the early morning of October 28, 2010, a teenage girl was found walking alone in the darkness along the Schuylkill Expressway. She was disoriented and bloody and told investigators that she believed she had been abducted. It wasn’t until hours later that the young girl remembered the horrific incident that lead up to her long walk in the darkness.
The girl, whose name has not been released, was picked up at approximately 12:20 a.m. and was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She did not have any recollection of what had happened to her and why she was covered with blood, cuts and bruises.
Nearly 12 hours later, at around 1 p.m., the teen remembered that she and her mother were in a Philadelphia auto accident the night before.
Police investigated and discovered a black 1997 Infiniti entangled in the branches of a tree near Roosevelt Boulevard and Schuylkill Expressway. The body of the teen’s mother, 34-year-old Lateisha Johnson, was still inside.
Police believe that around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, Johnson lost control of the vehicle, crashed through the guardrail, hit an embankment, vaulted 30 feet, struck a mound of rock and flipped, becoming entangled in the branches of a tree which was 40 feet above the ground and out of sight from passing traffic. They believe that Johnson was killed on impact and that her daughter was thrown from the car through an open window.
The accident investigation tied up traffic on Roosevelt Boulevard and the Schuylkill Expressway for hours during the evening rush hour.
Police are unsure of the exact cause of the accident, but site excessive speed as a contributing factor.
The daughter also told police that her mother suffered from epilepsy and may have suffered an epileptic seizure in the moments before the accident.
The Pennsylvania car crash lawyers at Cordisco & Saile are sorry to hear of such a tragic accident. We wish the friends and family of Lateisha Johnson the strength they need to make it through this difficult time.
