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'Still don't think it's real': Family devastated after woman killed helping crash victims in Durham

A Raleigh woman was hit by an SUV and died after she stopped to help victims who had been in a crash on South Miami Boulevard in Durham early Sunday morning.

Posted Updated

By
Heather Leah
, WRAL multiplatform producer; Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter
DURHAM, N.C. — A Raleigh woman was hit by an SUV and died after she stopped to help victims who had been in a crash on South Miami Boulevard in Durham early Sunday morning.

Jasmine Harbison, 29, of Raleigh and her boyfriend pulled over to assist victims who were trapped inside a flipped over Chevrolet Equinox.

The driver of the Equinox had collided with a Nissan Maxima around 2:30 a.m. The collision caused the Equinox to rotate and flip onto its right side, coming to rest in the far left northbound lane of South Miami Boulevard.

Harbison, who was standing on the left side of the overturned vehicle and trying to help, was hit by an approaching SUV.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her mother, Judy Davis, came to the crash site on Sunday morning for a sense of closure.

"We just...still don't think it's real," said Davis. Davis added that Jasmine had a bright future and owned a home in Raleigh. Harbison graduated from North Carolina Central in 2019 and started a natural hair care business.

Jasmine Harbison died after being hit by the driver of an SUV on Sunday morning in Durham.

Harbison leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter, Jada Williams. Williams told WRAL News that her mom was caring and fun.

"I just kept sitting in the car thinking about how could that happen?" Williams said.

The driver who struck her, along with the driver and passenger in the overturned vehicle, were all taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in the initial collision, according to investigators. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the fatal collision. Both crashes remain under investigation.

Several blocks of South Miami Boulevard were closed for several hours following the crash.

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