Police say the driver’s view was obstructed by trash that he put on his car’s hood.
AUBURN – A woman who was struck by a car while walking near Auburn Mall Apartments Sunday night remained at a Lewiston hospital a day later.
Marge Garstecki, 69, suffered several broken bones and a collapsed lung when she was struck about 6:30 p.m. on Plummer Street, police said.
The man driving the car that struck her, 20-year-old Jermaine Wilson, of 47 Damy Drive, was arrested on charges of driving to endanger, driving with a suspended license and possession of a suspended license.
Investigators said Wilson was driving his Volkswagen with a bag of garbage placed on the hood when he ran into Garstecki on the side of the road.
Police said Wilson was driving the trash to a nearby Dumpster and his view of the road was obstructed when he crashed.
Garstecki, who lives in the Court Street area, was out walking with her husband when she was struck and knocked to the street, police said.
The woman’s husband was recovering from a stroke and walked at a slower pace, according to a witness. When Garstecki was struck, she was a few paces ahead of her husband, police said.
Garstecki suffered a fractured skull as well as a broken leg, broken ribs and a broken nose in the crash. She also suffered a punctured lung and other internal injuries, police said.
Garstecki was taken to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center where she remained Monday night.
Her family requested that no further details about her condition be released.
Police, however, described her injuries as life-threatening.
Wilson told investigators he was driving at approximately 20 mph when he struck the woman at the side of Plummer Street.
Police believe he may have been traveling faster and were investigating to determine his speed.
Wilson was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail after his arrest.
He later made bail and was released, according to a jail official.
mlaflamme@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.