Driver Charged in Crash that Killed One Child, Critically Injured Another

REVERE, Dec. 10, 2018—A Boston woman was arraigned today for the crash in Revere yesterday that claimed the life of 5-year-old Adrianna Mejia-Rivera and left a 2-month-old infant in critical condition, Suffolk County District Attorney John P. Pappas said.

AUTUMN HARRIS, 42, of Beacon Hill was arraigned in Chelsea District Court today on charges of motor vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle for her alleged role in the collision near the intersection of Route 145 and North Shore Road. Judge Matthew Machera set bail at $10,000, the amount recommended by Assistant District Attorney Masai King. Machera further ordered Harris to remain drug- and alcohol-free if she posts that amount.

King told the court that evidence gathered by the State Police Suffolk County Detective Unit, State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and Revere Police detectives suggests that Harris was behind the wheel of a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox shortly before 5:00 pm when, it left the roadway and struck a group of five pedestrians on a sidewalk along the median strip of Route 145. Among those pedestrians were the three young children and two adult women.

“There are no words to describe our sorrow for this innocent child and her family,” Pappas said. “We will follow the evidence wherever it leads and we will do our level best to speak on their behalf in the wake of this devastating tragedy.”

Mejia-Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene. The 2-month-old child was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she remains in the Intensive Care Unit. The third child and the two adult victims were hospitalized with less serious injuries, as was Harris’ passenger, a 30-year-old female.

State Police investigators transported Harris to the Revere barracks, where she gave 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 yesterday. She allegedly stated the she had vaped CBD oil in the vehicle and that she might have nodded off at the wheel.

Harris was unable to take a breath test. Investigators obtained a search warrant for a blood sample and her cell phone to help determine whether she was impaired or distracted at the time of the collision.

Harris was represented by attorney Jeff Miller. She will return to court on Jan. 10, 2019.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.