SCHENECTADY — A Schenectady High senior who was killed in an early Saturday crash on the Thruway was a fun-loving, outgoing free spirit, her father said Monday.
Mariah M. Surgick, 18, died shortly before 4 a.m. when she ran into the driving lanes of the Thruway and was struck by a passing semitrailer. She had been in a car driven by a friend when the driver pulled over on the side of the Thruway in Guilderland, near Exit 25, according to state police Investigator Eric Seier.
The two had been arguing about use of the car earlier in the evening when Surgick got out, Seier said. Both were upset, he said.
Surgick then ran across the Thruway lanes and was hit. She died at the scene, according to Seier.
Surgick was on track to graduate next month and had talked about going into the Navy, according to her father, Dante Surgick.
“She was a wonderful person to be around,” Dante Surgick said. “Anybody that came into contact with her would tell you the same thing.”
The truck driver, identified as 55-year-old Frank Frederick, of Fort Plain, stopped and, with the driver of the car Surgick was in, waited for police to arrive. Frederick was not injured.
Surgick was a senior at Schenectady High School, a district spokeswoman confirmed. Crisis team and support staff were made available for students and staff.
State police continued to investigate the crash Monday and asked that anyone with information about the incident contact them at 518-783-3211.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
