Citrus Heights police said an elderly woman was hit by a car while trying to cross Auburn Boulevard near Antelope Road Monday night — with nearby church-goers saying she was leaving a memorial service when she was struck.
Police Sgt. Chad Morris said the collision occurred around 9 p.m. outside the Sierra Oaks apartment complex, at the corner of Sycamore Drive and Auburn Boulevard, where responding officers found the woman lying in the roadway with major injuries. Morris said the woman was “unconscious, but breathing,” and was transported to a hospital by medical personnel, where she is currently listed in “serious condition.”
By about 9:30 p.m. Monday, nearly a dozen officers were observed on scene, with “do not cross” tape surrounding a large area near Sycamore Drive, where a small amount of shattered glass, vehicle debris, and several pieces of clothing were seen lying in the roadway. Sgt. Morris said the vehicle involved sustained “fairly significant” front-end damage, although the car was still drive-able, and the driver was cooperative.
Morris said a preliminary investigation indicated that neither drugs, alcohol, nor speed were a factor in the collision, but he said the woman was crossing the street in an area where there was no crosswalk within several hundred feet. He said the northbound lanes of Auburn Boulevard would be closed for “several hours” Monday night, to allow for a comprehensive investigation of the scene.
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Several attendees of an evening memorial service at Bible Baptist Church on Auburn Boulevard said the woman who was hit had just left the service early, hoping to get home in time to see her grandchildren.
In September, another pedestrian was hit while crossing Auburn Boulevard several blocks away, and two others were killed on Auburn Boulevard earlier this year. Police previously reported a total of five people have been killed on Citrus Heights roadways this year — up from zero in 2014.
[Related: CHPD hopes to reduce fatalities with $236k traffic safety grant]
In a news release last week, Citrus Heights police said they are hopeful a recently awarded $236,000 traffic safety grant will help the Department curb a “particularly alarming” increase in pedestrian and bike-related fatalities on city streets.