A woman died Friday night after she was hit by an SUV at the end of a driveway near her home in Cranston, Rhode Island.
The Cranston Police Department says it received a 911 call around 7:40 p.m. reporting that a pedestrian had been struck by a motor vehicle in front of 41 Strathmore Road.
Responding officers found an unresponsive woman lying at the end of the driveway. CPR and "other lifesaving measures" were attempted to no avail, police said.
The victim was taken to Rhode Island Hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. She has since been identified as 77-year-old Lundy Braun, of 47 Strathmore Road. Police say she frequently walked in the area near her residence.
The Toyota Highlander driver, a 25-year-old Pawtucket woman, and a passenger stayed on scene and cooperated with investigators, according to police. The driver told officers that she was backing out of the driveway after visiting 41 Strathmore and did not realize anyone was behind her before she felt the impact.
When she got out of her SUV and realized that she had hit someone, she immediately ran to a nearby home to call for help.
According to police, officers noted that the driver showed no signs of alcohol or drug impairment. No charges have been filed at this time.
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The vehicle involved was towed to the Cranston Police Department for further examination.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Braun’s family as they deal with this tragic event, as well with the driver and passenger, who were obviously extremely distraught,” the department said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Braun is being remembered as an accomplished professor and researcher at Brown University, WJAR reports. She studied history of racism in public health and medicine. According to her university biography, Braun had a PhD from Johns Hopkins University.
In her Cranston neighborhood, where she's remembered as a sweetheart, residents say she was known for walking outside like she was doing at the time she was fatally struck.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
