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17-year-old dies when she’s thrown from truck that crashes over embankment, NC cops say

Alexis Sherril, 17, died when she was thrown from a truck, North Carolina authorities said.
Alexis Sherril, 17, died when she was thrown from a truck, North Carolina authorities said. Screengrab from Alexis Sherrill's Facebook

A 17-year-old girl was killed when she was thrown from the truck she was riding in, North Carolina officials say.

Alexis Grace Sherrill was riding in a 1989 Ford F-150 in the Lake Junaluska community the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 12, when the truck veered off the road over an embankment, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The truck rolled twice after it landed, throwing Sherrill from the vehicle, a public information officer said. She was not wearing a seat belt.

The driver and another passenger, both 17, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville, the officer said.

Officials said speed was a factor in the accident, and the driver was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and careless and reckless driving.

Sherrill is remembered as a “beautiful, amazing, strong, caring, sweet person,” according to one Facebook post.

“I am honestly lost for words…it literally doesn’t seem real,” the post said. “You (were) always there for me no matter what it was.”

“I sit here with a broken heart knowing that my baby is gone,” Sherrill’s mother, Natasha Potter, wrote on Facebook. “Lexi was so beautiful, and stubborn, and strong.”

“She always showed me true kindness,” a friend commented. “She had the most beautiful soul.”

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This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 1:35 PM with the headline "17-year-old dies when she’s thrown from truck that crashes over embankment, NC cops say."

Moira Ritter
mcclatchy-newsroom
Moira Ritter covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied government, journalism and German. Previously, she reported for CNN Business.
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