This story by John Lipmann was first published in the Valley News on March 21.
CHELSEA — A 64-year-old Vershire woman has been criminally charged in connection with the death of an 82-year-old pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle in Chelsea four months ago and subsequently died from his injuries, according to police.
Donna Kendall, of Chamberlain Hill Road, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with death resulting, gross negligent operation with death resulting and providing false information to police.
She allegedly was driving the car that struck Robert “Bobby” Hutchinson in Chelsea on the evening of Nov. 7, 2024, according a news release from Windsor County Sheriff’s Department. Kendall is cited to appear in Orange County Superior Court on April 23.
Hutchinson, a handyman who was frequently observed walking with the assistance of a walker around Chelsea, succumbed to his injuries at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center 10 days after he was hit.
Deputies from the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, which provides police coverage in Chelsea, were dispatched to Route 113 near Court Street at around 6 p.m. on Nov. 7 to a report of a pedestrian being struck by a motor vehicle.
“The operator of the motor vehicle departed the scene before police arrived” but “she was later positively identified by a bystander at the scene,” according to Friday’s news release.
Hutchinson, suffering from severe injuries, was transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon and about four days later went into hospice at the Jack Byrne Center, where he died on Nov. 17.
A four-month investigation led to the “identification and arrest” of Kendall, the news release said.
In January, Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer said authorities knew who struck Hutchinson but were not releasing the driver’s name because the investigation with the Orange County State’s Attorney’s Office was ongoing.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Woman charged in hit-and-run death of elderly Chelsea man.