Lewiston police, firefighters and other emergency personnel work Wednesday night at the intersection of Sabattus and College streets where 57-year-old Margaret “Peggy” Pooler was struck by a vehicle. According to a family friend, Pooler suffered a broken pelvis, leg, broken ribs and two punctured lungs. Mark LaFlamme/Sun Journal
LEWISTON — A 57-year-old woman was in serious condition at a Portland hospital Thursday after being struck by an SUV on Wednesday night while walking on Sabattus Street.
The driver of the vehicle was cooperating with the investigation, according to police, and no charges had been filed as of Thursday morning.
Police said Margaret “Peggy” Pooler was seriously injured when struck near the intersection of Sabattus and College streets about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Several items of her clothing were strewn across the road when emergency workers arrived. According to a family friend, Pooler suffered a broken pelvis, leg and arm along with multiple broken ribs. She was also being treated for two punctured lungs.
Pooler was treated at Central Maine Medical Center but later moved to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
According to several people who know Pooler, she often enters the intersection in front of Dave’s Place on Sabattus Street to ask motorists for money. Some people who live in the area reported seeing her approaching vehicles earlier in the evening, shortly before she was struck.
Pooler is well known in the homeless community, according to friends. She had been frequenting a warming space that had been set up at Calvary United Methodist Church on Sabattus Street in recent months. That shelter was shut down for the season earlier in the week.
On Wednesday night, police blocked the five-way intersection as emergency workers treated Pooler and an investigation into the cause of the crash got underway. Witnesses said the SUV was “moving right along” while traveling on Sabattus Street, toward Main Street, when the woman was hit.
“They were going really fast for this area,” one witness said.
The driver, who has not been identified by police, remained at the scene after the incident.
The investigation is ongoing, according to the statement released by police Thursday morning.
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