Neighbours in Sudbury have spoken of their sadness after an elderly lady was killed on a busy road in the town on Monday evening.
The victim, named locally as Kathleen Butcher, who was believed to be in her 80s, died following a collision with a car on the A131 Melford Road around 6.45pm.
Emergency services, including the East Anglian Air Ambulance, were called to the accident, but Miss Butcher was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is believed the collision with a black Vauxhall Corsa happened as Miss Butcher, of nearby St Bartholomews Lane, crossed the road.
Miss Butcher worked as a pathology technician at the former Walnuttree Hospital in Sudbury from the 1950s to 1980s.
Neighbour Bridget King, of St Bartholomews Lane, said she was well-known in the community.
She said: “It’s very sad, I used to see her every day walking down the road and she used to sit on the bench on Melford Road and read her paper.
“She used to take blood at Walnuttree Hospital and has taken mine in the past.”
The road was closed on Monday evening between Abbey Road and Chaucer Road while police conducted a collision investigation.
Flowers and a copy of a newspaper had yesterday been laid on the bench along Melford Road as a tribute to Miss Butcher.
Andy Watson, of Melford Road, said: “I wasn’t in last night when it happened but my partner was.
“I’m not sure exactly how it happened. It’s very sad as I would often see her sitting on the bench.”
Susan Ayres, Babergh District councillor for Sudbury North and deputy mayor, said: “It’s just awful. I feel very sad for all involved.
“There are so many people an accident like this can affect, it’s like a domino effect. My thoughts are with them.”
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 6.43pm on Monday, November 6, to Melford Road, Sudbury, to a report of a collision between a car and pedestrian.
“Two ambulance crews, a rapid response vehicle, ambulance officer and East Anglian Air Ambulance were dispatched.”
Police have asked any witnesses to contact the serious collision investigation team on 101.
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