More News

The makeshift shrine in front of Rocky Hill Middle School on Tuesday for Shiane Dixon started with a red candle, pictures of the dead track star and four stuffed animals.

As hundreds of teary-eyed mourners arrived for a memorial service, many dressed in bright orange T-shirts from the Maryland Titans' track club, the shrine became cluttered with balloons, several more stuffed animals and a track medal.

"She's more than just another student," said Stephen Whiting, principal of Rocky Hill Middle School. "She's family."

Shiane Dixon, 12, of Boyds, was hit by a tractor-trailer after she was flung from an SUV on Monday as it rolled over four times on southbound Interstate 95 near Petersburg, Va., said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corrine Geller. Shiane was pronounced dead at the scene, Geller said.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been disclosed.

Diane Dixon, Shiane's mother, who was driving the vehicle when it flipped, is in stable condition at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va. Hassan Dixon, 16, Shiane's brother, was injured in the accident and was treated and released. Taylor Scott, 12, of Damascus, and Jordan Lusane, 18, of Boyds, who were passengers in the SUV, were also injured, but were treated and released.

Rhoshanda Pyles, of Clarksburg, said Shiane Dixon was at her home the evening of June 26 eating French fries with her daughters Alexus, 11, Brione, 10, and Cierra, 8. Pyles said her daughters and Shiane had been friends and teammates for four years. Pyles said it was difficult to break the news of Shiane's death.

"They were devastated," Pyles said. "That's their friend."

Alexus Pyles, Shiane's teammate on the 4x800m relay team at last year's AAU National Championships in Detroit, said Shiane "was a great friend" to her. Shiane, she said, "was someone everyone wanted to be around."

A phone call from her mother is how Emma Mazzuca, 13, of Germantown, found out her former classmate had died. Mazzuca said she and Shiane had math together during the 2007-2008 school year. The two weren't "very close," Mazzuca said, but they were good acquaintances.

"I know she loved to sing," Mazzuca said. "She would sing in math."

Whiting said there is a garden behind the school that was going to be used as a memorial for former staff members who passed. He said they will be adding Shiane to that memorial during the next school year.

"She's one of those kids who's an honor roll student, bubbly, and a great athlete," Whiting said. "She was just an outstanding person."