Crash kills mother, young daughter

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Virginia Beach police say a preliminary investigation shows a Virginia Beach woman ran a red light in the crash that killed a mother and her young daughter Tuesday night.

The 57-year-old driver of the 2005 Scion TC has not been identified, but police say charges against her are pending.

Police spokesperson Adam Bernstein told WAVY.com the woman driving the silver Scion collided with an SUV carrying a family of four. Police believe the SUV rolled over at least once. Several windows on the SUV were missing; extensive vehicle body damage could also be seen. Witnesses told police the SUV had the green light when it was struck.

The two victims were identified as 35-year-old Tanya Mise and her daughter, 3-year-old Lauren Mise, of Emporia. Mise's husband and son survived the crash. The family was in the area for a conference in Virginia Beach.

For hours, police vehicles and yellow tape blocked the intersection of Dam Neck Road and Corporate Landing Parkway.

Tanya Mise, who was in the front passenger seat, and Lauren, who was in the back, were both thrown from the vehicle during the crash. The 3-year-old had been in a car seat.

"It's strange because if a child seat is properly installed with all the safety restraints, they're supposed to remain in that seat even if a vehicle does overturn," Bernstein said. "We did have a pastor from a nearby church driving past the scene, he actually stopped and was there to console the father and son."

The woman driving the other vehicle was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. A man claiming to be her husband arrived at the cleared scene early Wednesday morning and said he drove down from New York when he learned of the crash.

While police investigated the accident, traffic officials checked the lights at the intersection to make sure they had been functioning properly.

Bernstein said neither alcohol nor speed were factors in the crash.