Today we have tragic news out of the Southpointe, Pennsylvania, office of energy law firm Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. Last week, one of the firm’s talented young associates was killed after she was hit by a car while pushing her five-month-old baby in a stroller.
Mariah Klinefelter, a mother of two, was on vacation with her husband in Florida last week when she decided to go for a sunrise jog with her son, Noah. While pushing him in his baby carriage, she was struck from behind by Allen J. Peterson, the driver of an SUV who said he’d been blinded by the rising sun. Klinefelter died instantly, but Noah, who broke multiple bones, is expected to recover fully. Police are still investigating the accident. For the time being, Peterson has not been charged with any crimes.
Mariah and Noah Klinefelter (Photo via Facebook)
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Klinefelter was a 2006 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law, and had worked as a labor and employment attorney for U.S. Steel, McGuireWoods, Eckert Seamans, and Fedex Ground before joining Steptoe & Johnson.
Here’s a statement Susan Brewer, CEO of Steptoe & Johnson, issued after she found out about Klinefelter’s death:
What I said to our people is that she’s a very talented labor and employment lawyer and we’re very sorry to lose her. And our prayers are with her family. She’d been with us long enough to be very special.
We here at Above the Law would like to extend our condolences and sympathies to Mariah Klinefelter’s family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.
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Obituary: Mariah Klinefelter / Lawyer who was killed while jogging in Florida [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Mother-of-two killed and her five-month-old son injured after they were run down by an SUV as she pushed him in stroller during family vacation [Daily Mail]
Upper St. Clair woman pushing stroller killed, infant son seriously injured, in Florida [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.