Community honors Buffalo woman killed in Philadelphia car crash

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – The family of a Buffalo woman who was killed in a car crash in Philadelphia held a vigil on the city’s east side Friday.

On June 8, 22-year-old Mariah Clemons was visiting a friend in Philadelphia. According to her family, she was involved in a minor crash with a U-Haul on I-76 Westbound. While exchanging information in the right lane of the interstate, a dump truck hit the back of the U-Haul sending it forward.

The U-Haul struck 3 occupants, a male who is believed to have been operating the U-Haul and a woman who was in the SUV with Clemons. According to Clemons’ family, Clemons was stuck underneath the U-Haul and a forklift was needed to remove it.

“They were left there for 40 minutes before help got there,” explained Clemons friend Ariel Wills who spoke with the man involved in the accident. “She was airlifted to the hospital, but her friend passed away at the hospital.”

Clemons suffered injuries to her pelvis, bladder, intestines and femur. She underwent several surgeries but succumbed to her injuries on July 1. Her family traveled over 300 miles and were at Clemons’ bedside at the time she passed.

“It was pretty upsetting,” said Ashley Clemons, sister of Mariah Clemons. “Buffalo Police had to contact us instead of Philadelphia Police. So, we were kind of just lost as to what was going on.”

At the vigil on Friday, family members described Clemons as the light in the room, saying she always had the biggest smile on her face. She was the youngest of 18 siblings with aspirations of becoming a model. Hundreds of balloons were released in honor of Clemons in yellow, her favorite color.

“We call her Miss. Hollywood. She was our superstar,” said Ashley Clemons. “She was the youngest one of us all. She was everything.”

Family members say the pain will always linger but they plan on keeping Clemons’ memory alive wherever they go. They say she will forever be 22.

“She loved life, Mariah loved life. That’s what I want everybody to remember about her,” said Willis.

Clemons’ funeral will be held at at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 12. The family is collecting donations to go towards funeral expenses. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here .