Hamilton woman struck by car, killed while crossing street

A 37-year-old Hamilton woman was struck and killed by a car Saturday evening on Laurel Avenue as she crossed the street to get to her vehicle.

Police said Rebecca Evans was visiting a home on Laurel and was crossing the street at Elmo, where her vehicle was parked, around 6:20 p.m.

On a dark, rainy evening, “she had dark clothing on, and when she entered the roadway, she was struck by an eastbound vehicle,” said Sgt. Brian Robinson.

The driver of the 1995 Toyota Corolla that hit Evans was driven by a Hamilton man on his way to work.

“Speed was not a factor, and the driver of the Toyota was not impaired, and there have been no charges filed at this time,” Robinson said.

The name of the car’s driver was not released because the investigation report was not finished, according to Robinson.

The combination of weather, nightfall and dark clothing led to the tragedy, he said.

“That’s a problem we see a lot, especially when it’s raining, and it’s dark out,” Robinson said. “If you have dark clothing on, but then with the rain, it impairs vision even that much more. Rain on the windshield sometimes can make people far less conspicuous, especially when they’re crossing a roadway in an area where you may or may not anticipate someone crossing.”

When vehicles hit pedestrians at night, “dark clothing tends to be a huge factor in those,” he said. “It’s a tragedy for everyone involved.”

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