Margaret “Peggy” Pooler Submitted photo
LEWISTON — A 57-year-old homeless woman struck by an SUV on Sabattus Street last week died of her injuries Monday at a Portland hospital.
A family member said Margaret “Peggy” Pooler died Monday night at Maine Medical Center. She suffered multiple injuries in the Wednesday night crash near the intersection of Sabattus and College streets.
Witnesses said Pooler, who is homeless, had been walking into the street to ask passing drivers for money earlier in the evening, although details about the crash remained unclear.
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.
Pooler was well known in the downtown area. She was homeless and had spent time at the warming center set up at Calvary United Methodist Church, near the area where she was struck. The shelter had closed just days before the accident.
“She came into the shelter nearly every night,” said Linda Doucette Scott, who worked at the warming shelter. “I can tell you when we all heard about it that evening, we were all devastated by it and wondered had the shelter been open, maybe it would not have happened. Of course we all know, that may not have been the case, but it was our first thought. All of us, have kept in contact since the accident and have been praying daily for her recovery. She is so tiny and fragile, and cared so much for her cat. She spoke nightly about her cat.”
A friend of the family set up a GoFundMe page to help Pooler’s daughter to pay for medical, travel and funeral services. The page highlights Pooler’s longtime presence in the downtown area and the nature of her relationships with the people who dwell there.
“She has been a fixture in town for a while, and she has been friends to many during that time,” according to the GoFundMe page. “She never had much, but was always more than happy to give whatever she could to anyone that was in need. She would give her last dollar to someone if they asked, when she likely needed it more than they did.”
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