Pedestrian hit by car dies in hospital

Kennedy Manor resident Marian Morrow, 64, was hit by a car while crossing Clinton Street on Monday

WOONSOCKET – The 64-yearold tenant of Kennedy Manor who was struck by a car Monday as she was crossing Clinton Street in front of the high-rise apartment building has died, the police said.

Marian Morrow died at Rhode Island Hospital Thursday, which means police will have to determine whether to bring additional charges against the motorist involved, said Deputy Police Chief Michael Lemoine.

“The state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine whether the injuries she suffered in the accident caused her death,” said Lemoine. “This is an open investigation.”

Police say the driver, Carlos J. Lopez Jr., 21, of 727 Front St., was operating without a license, a registration and proof of insurance, at the time of the accident. Operating on a suspended registration is a minor criminal offense, but the other two infractions are motor vehicle offenses that are adjudicated by the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal.

“She was a wonderful, wonderful person,” said Diane Sequin, a friend of Morrow who also lives at Kennedy Manor, located at 547 Clinton St. “She would be friends with anybody, talk to anybody. She had the greatest personality. She’d do any- thing for you.”

According to police reports, Morrow, aided by a walker, was crossing from the parking lot of Walgreen’s Pharmacy, to return to her apartment shortly after 7 p.m. Monday when she tripped and fell.

Operating a blue Mazda in the lane closest to Walgreen’s in the northbound one-way, Lopez struck Morrow just as she was getting back on her feet.

A surveillance video supplied by the Woonsocket Housing Authority shows the woman becoming airborne and landing on the sidewalk in front of Kennedy Manor after the crash, police said.

A crosswalk with various safety features is located directly in front of Kennedy Manor, but Morrow was not using it when she was struck by Lopez’s vehicle, according to Lemoine.

Among other things, the crosswalk is painted bright red and it’s equipped with a flasher that pedestrians can activate by pushing a button on the sidewalk. The accident happened in conditions that can significantly hamper visibility – it was dark and raining hard – but Lemoine said using the crosswalk “might have helped” the victim get across the street safely.

Police reports don’t elaborate on the nature of the victim’s injuries, but Sequin, who visited Morrow in the hospital, said she suffered massive head trauma, with multiple bones broken in her face, jaw and cranium.

Sequin said Morrow had two grown children, a son and daughter, who visited regularly and enjoyed spending time with them.

Morrow, she said, had “really bad legs” and used the walker to help her get around. Her doctor had recommended that Morrow use a motorized chair for safety reasons.

Sequin said Morrow fell to the ground before being struck by the car because she failed to notice “a hole” in the parking lot of Walgreen’s. One of the legs of the walker abruptly dipped into the depression in the pavement, and Morrow lost her balance.

“She wasn’t too steady when she was walking with the walker,” said Sequin. “There was a hole at the end of Walgreen’s driveway. It was dark. She didn’t see it.”