A woman hit by a snow plow Saturday night during the nor'easter has died, while another person hit by the truck was seriously injured, officials said Sunday.
The 27-year-old woman from Lowell, was being pushed in a wheelchair by a 39-year-old man from Carlisle, when they were struck, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors identified the woman Monday as Lowell resident Deanne Fontes. The man with her remains in the hospital.
The incident occurred just before 7 p.m. at the corner of School and Cross Street. The woman was thrown under a parked vehicle across the street, prosecutors said.
“I know she was going to push herself in the snow that probably why he was helping her," said Artie Marcotte, who witnessed the incident.
"They were wearing safety jackets so people could see them with reflectors. It’s a bad tragic especially on the first snowstorm.”
A man named Jose who knows the victim says she’s homeless, and often counts on friends in the area to get around.
“Sometimes she’s be right by herself pushing no one around to help her,” he said...“She’d ask for change in front so she could buy I don’t know what but she’s a nice girl, wasn’t a troublemaker or no nothing.”
She was taken to Tufts Medical Center where she later died from her injuries. The male pedestrian remains in a hospital nearby. Prosecutors have yet to identify either person.
It is unclear what role weather may have played in the crash, though it was a cold and wet evening as a winter storm moved through New England.
Authorities say the driver of cars involved remained at the scene.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
