A woman in a St. Paul crosswalk was struck and killed by a vehicle Tuesday.
She is one of at least 65 pedestrians who have been hit by vehicles this year in St. Paul, including three who died.
The woman, whose name has not been released, was hit by a minivan about 4:15 p.m. at the intersection of Cayuga and Arkwright streets as she crossed the street between two HealthPartners Specialty Center buildings at 435 and 401 Phalen.
Police spokesman Steve Linders said she was leaving work at the time. Neither he nor a HealthPartners spokesman would confirm where she worked, but HealthPartners employees watching police investigate the crash were visibly upset.
Linders said the woman had the right of way in the crosswalk when a man driving south on Arkwright Street N. turned left onto Cayuga Street and struck her. Witnesses immediately came to her aid, followed by officers who performed CPR.
The driver of the van stopped and is cooperating with investigators, Linders said. Drugs or alcohol don't seem to have been factors, he said. "These scenes are gut-wrenching," he said. "We need to pay attention."
Linders urged both drivers and pedestrians to look out for one another. "We really need drivers to work with us on this," he said.
Pedestrians also need to be aware, even if they have the right of way, he said. St. Paul police rolled out a pedestrian safety program, "Stop For Me," this year and will hold another educational outreach event Wednesday.
