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Teen Driver Killed In Freak Accident Along I-295 In Mt. Laurel

By Steve Beck

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (CBS) -- A teenage driver was killed during a freak accident in South Jersey late Sunday night.

The crash happened at about 11 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-295 in Mount Laurel.

According to investigators, the female somehow lost control of her car. The car left the roadway, hit a guardrail and ended up back in the left center lane of I-295.

State Police say once the car came to a stop, the driver got out of her car.

A tractor-trailer attempted to go around the disabled car, but struck the female driver and her car.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. She has been identified by State Police as 18-year-old Lyric Smith from Burlington, New Jersey.

Smith was a student at the Burlington County Institute of Technology and the school released a statement that read in part:

"It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Ms. Lyric Smith, a beloved 12th grade Health Occupations Career Major student at the Burlington County Institute of Technology, Westampton Campus. Our entire school community mourns the loss of Lyric who passed so suddenly in an automobile accident. The Burlington County School Crisis Response team has been on campus today providing support to our students and staff as they grieve. Our prayers for peace, strength, and comfort are extended to Lyric's family, loved ones, and friends."

The deadly incident remains under investigation.

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