A woman killed in traffic during Thursday’s thunderstorm has been identified identified by police.
St Joseph Police Commander Janice Rothganger identifies the victim as Elizabeth Palitayan, 65, of St Joseph. Rothganger says Palitayan was not in the crosswalk nearby, and that low visibility because of the storm contributed to the accident.
The accident happened just before 5pm about 200 feet north of Frederick on the Belt Highway, near the crest of a hill. Rothganger says the rain was more of a visibility factor than the hill.
Investigators say Palitayan was trying to get to the hotel across the street, which is owned by her mother. She was hit by a Nissan Titan driven by Brock Shurtleff, 53, of St Joseph. Rothganger says neither the motorist nor the pedestrian could see each other.
Rothganger called it a tragic accident. No citations were issued.
“The safest thing to do is to use the crosswalks,” Rothganger said. “Make sure that the signal is directing you to cross.”
“Make sure that you also check for vehicles to actually stop for you. Just because the light changes doesn’t necessarily mean that drivers see you. Obviously, a person can’t get out of the way quickly enough if the vehicle is going 35 or 40 miles per hour.”