A woman struck and killed on the Beltway early Sunday morning had just spent her first night out since her daughter was born eight months ago.
Vanessa Schwartz was struck by a car after getting out of an Uber on Interstate 495 in Fairfax County, Virginia, her family said.
She leaves behind her husband, Michael Schwartz, and their baby daughter, Lucy.
"I just cannot imagine that he now has to raise this girl on his own after this really terrible situation," said the victim’s tearful brother-in-law, Chad Schwartz.
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The couple and a friend took an Uber home, but why she got out of the car on the Beltway is still unclear, according to Virginia State Police. The driver who hit Schwartz wasn't able to avoid her, police said.
Schwartz's close friend Denise Platon spoke of the hole left in her life now.
Back in college, Schwartz had offered Platon a room in her house.
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“In that same house, I found my husband,” Platon said, crying. “So, if it wouldn't have been for her, I wouldn't have met him."
They eventually worked together and were there for each other as they became moms.
“Being a mother was everything to her,” Platon said. “That's all she ever wanted.”
While the family's grief is overwhelming, they now have two missions: understanding how and why she was on the interstate after getting out of an Uber and making sure Lucy grows up knowing how much her mom loved her.
The family has set up an online fundraiser to help with funeral expenses and says any excess money they're able to raise will be put into a savings account for Lucy's future.
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