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Ohio woman dies when head becomes wedged between car and parking garage toll booth

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio State University graduate student was killed in a freak accident Monday night when her head became wedged between the door of her car and the toll booth in a Columbus parking garage.

Victoria Strauss, 23, of Columbus, was pronounced dead at the scene, Columbus police officials said.

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Police officials said security camera footage showed that Strauss was attempting to pay for parking at 11:37 p.m. Monday when she dropped her card.

“She attempted to retrieve her card by opening her door and leaning out to pick it up,” a police statement said. “She inadvertently accelerated and collided with the parking kiosk.”

The collision caused Strauss’ head to become trapped between the car door and the door frame of the booth.

A security guard found her six hours later, according to The Associated Press.

Strauss, a Florida native, became an Ohio State graduate student in 2019, according to her social media presence. She got an undergraduate degree from Florida Atlantic University, where she was a member of the dance team.

Today was one of the most difficult days and one that I could never imagine. Today we lost a beautiful soul. Vic, I am...

Posted by Claudia Soto-Vaca on Tuesday, January 19, 2021

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Her family mourned the loss of her grandmother on Jan. 2.

The day before her grandmother died, Strauss wrote that she was “heading into 2021 feeling pure happiness,” which she’d been lacking since the 2017 death of her father. She wrote of struggling as she wondered if his spirit was OK, but said she’d been receiving signs that made her believe he was in heaven.

“I felt like I could finally breathe again,” she wrote. “I know this may sound crazy, but this was what I needed to keep going, knowing he was OK.

“So 2021, watch out cause I’m gonna be up to big stuff and I’m not holding back. Dad, I’m gonna make you proud. I love you.”