LEWISTON — A woman struck by a car on Sabattus Street on Wednesday night was in critical condition Friday in a Portland hospital.
Margaret “Peggy” Pooler was on full life support and dialysis at Maine Medical Center on Friday afternoon. A family friend said Pooler had developed a brain bleed and that her kidneys had shut down as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
Pooler was struck while she was in the street near the intersection of Sabattus and College streets shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday. Witnesses said Pooler, who is homeless, had been walking into the street to ask passing drivers for money earlier in the evening.
She was struck by an SUV being driven toward Main Street, police said. The woman driving the vehicle has not been charged, although police said they were forwarding their findings to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
The driver has not been identified.
Pooler was initially treated at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston for a variety of injuries suffered in the crash. A family member said she suffered a broken leg, arm and multiple ribs and that both of Pooler’s lungs had been punctured.
Pooler was later moved to the Portland hospital, where she remained Friday evening with her daughter and a family friend at her bedside.
The intersection at Sabattus and College streets, which also connects with the end of Horton Street, has been the scene of numerous pedestrian accidents in recent years.
In September of 2022, a 49-year-old local man who was struck by a pickup truck in the intersection later died of his injuries.
Several people who live and work in the area say drivers often speed through the intersection in an attempt to beat the traffic lights that control traffic there. They also note that a significant number of pedestrians, coming from a local corner store or from a nearby shelter, also frequently dart into the street in the area without checking for oncoming traffic.
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