10-year-old girl dies in crash on I-90 in Mentor after semi-truck hits car

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - A 10-year-old girl is dead after a semi-truck hit a car on Interstate 90 in Mentor on Friday, according to the Mentor Police Department.

Police identified the victim as Ji Ferguson, a South Euclid student who attended Greenview Upper Elementary. Ferguson’s mother and brother were seriously hurt.

The district said in a statement, “The South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools will be providing grief counseling and other bereavement support resources throughout the week of Monday, January 28, 2019, in light of the sudden and tragic loss of one of its very own elementary students, Ji Ferguson, earlier this morning. The leadership of the South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools respectfully asks the community to honor the privacy of the family, friends and other individuals who are closely involved with this matter, to allow them the requisite time and space to mourn the tragic loss of this beautiful child. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of those involved at this sad and heartbreaking time.”

A GoFundMe account has been established to help the family with funeral and hospital expenses. Ferguson’s grandmother wrote on the GoFundMe page, "Today feels like a nightmare for all our family and friends. Because of a vehicular accident, my granddaughter Ji’s life was taken, her mom Kia and brother Kobe are still fighting for their lives. And as we grieve, we are also facing funeral and hospital expenses. We are seeking for your help. "

Police said about 20 minutes after midnight officers and Mentor firefighters responded to the accident in the westbound lanes of I-90 near the State Route 615 exit.

Investigators say a 37-year-old woman, later identified as Kia Ferguson, driving a 2008 Chevy was hit by a semi-truck.

Authorities said the crash pushed the Chevy down an embankment.

• The driver of the Chevy is in critical condition
• A 6-year-old boy, later identified as Kobe Ferguson, is in critical condition
• The driver of the semi-truck, later identified as 56-year-old Ralph Lansu of Strongsville, was not injured

A section of Interstate 90 was closed for four hours. A second crash near the same area hours later closed the interstate again. The cause of the crashes remains under investigation.

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