Girl charged in student’s auto accident

By JONATHAN HUNLEY

Published: November 19, 2008

A 16-year-old girl has now been charged with a felony in connection with a car accident that seriously injured a Woodbridge High School student.

Prince William County police announced lesser charges on Nov. 13 against the girl, who is not being identified because she is a minor.

But now she has been charged with felony hit-and-run, Officer Erika Hernandez said Wednesday.

Prince William police responded to the intersection of Springwoods Drive and Trokia Court in Lake Ridge on Nov. 11 and found that John Meres had fallen off the back of a 2006 Saturn Ion, striking the pavement.

The 17-year-old had jumped on the trunk of the car. The driver pulled away, police said.

When Meres fell, he suffered head injuries. He remained in critical condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital on Wednesday evening, said his aunt, Jennifer Meres.

The driver of the Saturn, who lives in Woodbridge, was to face charges of reckless driving and having more than one passenger in the vehicle.

But the felony charge came because investigators found that the driver left the scene of the accident knowing that Meres was hurt, Hernandez said.

The accident has been big news at Woodbridge High School, where Meres is a senior, and on the social networking Web site Facebook. More than 750 people had signed up for a Facebook page called "Pray for John Meres" as of Wednesday evening.

"We appreciate everybody's prayers and support," Jennifer Meres said, adding her family is "holding up," considering the gravity of the situation, and that family members didn't want to comment on the legal charges in the incident. "That's not something that we're thinking about right now," she said.

Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.