Truck driver facing charges for crash in Cambridge that killed pedestrian, 27

A Methuen man has been cited for negligent operation after his dump truck fatally struck a pedestrian last Friday.

The man, 54, was operating the truck when he fatally struck a 27-year-old Cambridge woman, identified as Jie Zhao, at the intersection of Magazine Street and Putnam Avenue.

Initial investigation showed that at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, the driver was traveling on Putnam Avenue toward Newton Street when, in an apparent attempt to turn right onto Magazine Street, he began to back up the vehicle, hitting the victim with the rear of the truck.

Zhao was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bunches of flowers had been placed at the crash site in memory, while community members grieved for the woman.

“This is a part of our neighborhood and we just wanted to pay our respects and go out and pray for her and her family,” Holly Wiegand, a Cambridge resident told the Herald on Friday.

“Life is fragile,” added Cambridge resident Bill Boxx. “She was just walking home or going to a friend’s house or the store. She was doing everyday stuff and didn’t even realize she had only a few seconds left on this earth. It is sad.”

Last year, the number of pedestrian deaths ranked as the second-deadliest year for pedestrians in decades, reported the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 37,000 Americans died in traffic fatalities, with almost 6,000 of those including pedestrian deaths.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Cambridge Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section are all still investigating the crash.

The driver’s name is not being released and a court date has not been scheduled.