REVERE — An infant struck by a vehicle in Revere on Sunday has died, days after the accident claimed the life of her older sister.
Two-month-old Natasha Nicole Mejia-Rivera has died of injuries she suffered in the motor vehicle crash, said Suffolk County District Attorney John P. Pappas. Her sister, 5-year-old Adrianna Mejia-Rivera, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two children were among a group of five pedestrians struck by a motor vehicle in Revere late Sunday afternoon.
Adrianna was pronounced dead at the scene; Natasha was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with critical injuries that claimed her life in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Wednesday night.
“Our priority right now is supporting a family who lost the center of their world in the blink of an eye,” said Pappas, who has assigned two victim-witness advocates to the case. He added that additional charges are likely in the days and weeks to come.
The driver of the SUV that struck the group, 42-year-old Autumn Harris of Beacon Hill, was arraigned Monday on charges of motor vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle for the collision near the intersection of Route 145 and North Shore Road.
Chelsea District Court Judge Matthew Machera set bail at $10,000 and ordered Harris to remain drug- and alcohol-free if she posts that amount.
Prosecutors say Harris was behind the wheel of a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox shortly before 5 p.m. when it left the roadway and struck the victims, who were on a sidewalk along the median strip of Route 145.
In a recorded, post-Miranda statement, she allegedly stated that she had consumed one beer earlier in the afternoon, that she had taken prescription and over-the-counter medication to help her sleep the night before, and that she had only slept two hours before working all day. She allegedly stated the she had vaped CBD oil in the vehicle and that she might have nodded off at the wheel.
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non psycho-reactive chemical in marijuana touted for a number of uses, including anxiety treatment, inflammation reduction, and seizures prevention. Its medical uses are largely unproven. Cannabidiol is different than tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the chemical that delivers the high associated with marijuana.
Harris is represented by attorney Jeff Miller. She will return to court on Jan. 10, 2019.