Virginia State Police responded to a crash in which a Honda Odyssey minivan traveling along Route 29 struck a deer near Route 617/Rockfish River Road at 6:06 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
As the Honda slowed due to the impact with the deer, a tractor-trailer traveling behind the minivan was unable to stop in time and rear-ended the minivan.
The Honda had a driver and four passengers. All five were injured, with an 8-year-old female sustaining life-threatening injuries. She was transported to UVA Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries on Christmas Day.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, which was loaded with 42,000 pounds of paper, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation at this time.