A woman visiting D.C. was in the back seat of a Lyft car on Florida Avenue NW on Monday when the driver of a stolen car crashed into the Lyft and then ran.
Jasmine Harris is expected to have a long recovery after the hit-and-run, according to friends pitching in to help with her medical bills. She was still hospitalized on Friday and fighting for her life, they said.
“People stole a vehicle and practically almost killed my best friend with it," Bill Shiebler said.
The Lyft in which Harris was riding was hit at Florida Avenue and 11th Street NW, near the Florida Avenue Grill, at about noon on Monday. Both Harris and the driver of the Lyft were rushed to hospitals.
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Harris was ejected from the car and suffered head injuries and broken bones, Shiebler said. She had surgery and will need additional surgery and rehabilitative care.
People inside the car that hit the Lyft got out and ran away, police said.
D.C. police are investigating the hit-and-run. There were no immediate arrests.
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Harris moved to Barbados during the pandemic and traveled to D.C. for a quick trip to see friends. She and Shiebler took a photo together the night before the crash Monday. She had been scheduled to leave the city Monday night.
“She’s just so beautiful, and to see her like this now, I don’t even recognize her,” he said.
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Harris’ many friends can’t understand how or why this happened, Shiebler said.
“To think that you could wake up one morning, get in the back seat of a rideshare car and now have to fight for your life — and even if you do survive, have to be in debt for the rest of your life — just isn’t fair,” he said.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Harris.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
