Crossing the street is something many of us do each day. Yet we cannot forget the danger we are exposed to when walking across any road. The recent tragic death of an 80-year-old Boston-area woman calls to mind that sentiment. While attempting to safely cross the road, the woman was struck by a motorist and her injuries proved fatal. Local authorities are investigating the incident and the motorist in question faces charges.

While trying to cross the street in her hometown of Quincy, the woman was blindsided by a vehicle in the early evening. According to local police officials, the woman was crossing near the intersection of Palmer and Sea Streets. The oncoming driver was stopped at a red light and began taking a left turn, drove into the right lane and struck the woman.

Fellow motorists, positioned behind the suspect's vehicle, bore witness to this dreadful accident. They indicated the woman was trying to move quickly across the road before being struck by a car.

After sustaining catastrophic injuries as the result of the collision, she was transported to a local hospital where she received treatment, but later passed away.

Although cops made contact with the driver in question, he was not arrested at the time of the deadly accident. Upon being summoned to court, he will be charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and failure to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk.

As pedestrians, there is only so much we can do to protect ourselves from the potential danger of moving traffic. Unfortunately, this woman's story ends in sadness. Her life was cut short, so her family will miss out on the quality time she would have been able to spend with them had she not been involved in this accident. We can only hope that drivers carefully follow traffic regulations to keep everyone, pedestrians and other drivers, safe.

Source: The Boston Globe, "Quincy woman, 80, killed while crossing street," Jessica Bartlett, Jan. 17, 2012