An elderly woman has died after a Thursday night accident in which a sport utility vehicle, driven by a Bhutanese resettled in Worcester, MA, smashed through the front door of her Park Avenue house.
The Telegram & Gazette, a local news outlet in Worcester, quoted police as saying that Rosemary Turner, 83, of 182 Park Ave., died at UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus, just a couple of hours after the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder careened into her home.
The online further mentioned that a 53-year-old man standing in the doorway of the victim’s house suffered a broken ankle in the accident and was also taken to UMass Memorial. Police did not identify the injured man.
According to police, the driver, Hari Dhakal, 39, of Worcester, MA was not hurt. It is further reported that Turner was standing by the door with the male victim when the accident occurred. Police said the woman was pinned under the vehicle.
Police said Dhakal was traveling west on Institute Road about 8 p.m. when he crossed into the roadway’s intersection with Park Avenue; slammed over a traffic island, and into the house. Investigators said that Dhakal told them that his brakes failed.
Police said the injured man had come to visit Turner and she was answering the door when the accident occurred. Police said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash, but speed might be.
The Nissan was taken to Police Headquarters at Lincoln Square so the vehicle’s operational systems could be checked out.
An autopsy was scheduled for yesterday to determine the exact cause of Ms. Turner’s death. Officials said it took Fire Department personnel about 45 minutes to free the woman from the wreckage.
Mentioning the statement by witnesses, the Telegram & Gazette said that the Nissan was traveling at high speed down Institute Road when it failed to make the turn onto Park Avenue.
Despite repeated attempts, BNS could not confirm the details of the accident independently. BNS contacted some potential Bhutanese sources in Worcester, all of whom appeared unaware of the accident until the filing of this report.
