19-year-old killed when car rolls down driveway and pins her against tree, WV cops say
A 19-year-old was killed when a car she was in rolled down a driveway and pinned her against a tree, West Virginia deputies say.
Elizabeth O’Leary was found dead just after 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 16, according to a news release from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office. An overturned Hyundai Elantra was found nearby in the front yard of a home.
Deputies said O’Leary had been partially inside the Hyundai holding its steering wheel when the car began to roll down a steep driveway. The car struck a tree, pinning O’Leary, then continued rolling down the hillside before overturning.
The car had been left in drive with no parking brake, which caused it to roll, investigators said.
O’Leary was a Nitro High School graduate, and a “beloved daughter, sister and friend,” according to a Facebook post from the school.
Loved ones shared tributes for O’Leary on social media.
“I still don’t have the right words to convey how amazing Elizabeth O’Leary was in our lives,” Amanda Estep Burton wrote in a Facebook post. “Liz was an honors student, valedictorian, a kind human. She had so much life to live, as she just celebrated her 19th birthday...This is hard.”
“Liz, you had such an incredible impact on everyone around you,” Chloe Beckner said in a post. “You knew how to light up the room, make people laugh and so much more. You were such a intelligent young lady and I knew you were going to excel in life. You were such a special, genuine soul. If you knew Elizabeth, you loved her.”
“She was extremely studious and applied herself like very few students I have ever taught,” Andy Shamblin, one of O’Leary’s high school teachers wrote in a Facebook post. “Life just doesn’t make sense or seem fair. However, I am thankful for good memories of Elizabeth.”
Nitro is about 15 miles northwest of Charleston, West Virginia.
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