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Man Critical After Sandbag Crashes Through Windshield

4 teens accused of tossing bag off Ohio overpass; Mich. man may die from his injuries
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2017 7:36 AM CST
Man Critical After Sandbag Crashes Through Windshield
Throwing items off an overpass like this one is no harmless prank.   (Getty Images/Yury Gubin)

Four young teens are in custody and a 22-year-old Michigan man is in critical condition after a sandbag thrown off an overpass onto an Ohio highway crashed through the windshield of the car he was in, People reports. Marquise Byrd was riding in the front seat as a passenger Tuesday night when the sandbag hit the car heading south on Interstate 75. The driver of the car wasn't hurt, but Byrd suffered a serious head injury and was treated at the scene by emergency responders before being taken to an area hospital. Police told a local prosecutor that Byrd may die from his injuries, reports the Toledo Blade. As for the youths accused of tossing the sandbag, one is a 13-year-old and three are 14. All four were charged with felonious assault and booked into the Lucas County Juvenile Detention Center.

People notes they're not being charged as adults and so won't name them, though the Blade does; two of them reportedly have previous criminal infractions. Authorities say other cars were hit with other objects, meaning more charges may emerge, including vandalism or homicide if Byrd dies from his injuries. The bridge the sandbag was thrown from is being renovated, and so sections of fence that normally would prevent anyone from being able to drop anything over the side are missing. The sandbag may have been left by contractors overnight to weigh down items like signage. An Ohio DOT rep warns, however, that even something much lighter than a sandbag could cause serious damage when thrown onto fast-moving vehicles from above. (This kind of overpass "mischief" is no joke.)

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