Virginia Family Dies in Interstate 66 Crash Following Church Service

A Virginia family of three died in a fiery vehicle collision on Interstate 66 on Sunday afternoon while returning home from church in Washington, D.C. Marlysha Liddell, her husband Paul, and their four-year-old daughter, Leilani, were killed when their Honda Pilot struck a utility truck that had stopped in the highway's right lane. The family were members of St. Augustine Church, a historic parish in Northwest Washington.

Virginia State Police report that the crash involved a third vehicle, a Toyota 4Runner, which had been forced out of its lane before striking highway bollards. The utility truck, which was hauling oxygen tanks, and the 4Runner came to a stop in the lane prior to the collision. Authorities have charged the drivers of both the truck and the 4Runner with reckless driving.

Marlysha Liddell served as a civil rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. The loss has been described as a significant blow to their congregation at St. Augustine, where the family regularly attended services.