Woman, girl hospitalized after being hit by car in Chester

UPDATE Nov. 25 8:45 a.m. According to Chester Police, the child who was hit on Monday was released from the hospital yesterday. The woman remains at Dartmouth Hitchcock in critical condition.

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A woman and a child walking together to Chester-Andover Elementary School around 7:30 this morning were hit by a car as they crossed Main Street near the People’s Bank in Chester.

Chester Police Det. Matt Wilson said both were transported to Springfield Hospital, and that the woman was being flown by helicopter from Springfield to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, N.H.

According to police, the woman, estimated to be in her 50s, and the girl, about 10 years old, were crossing the street after a pickup truck heading west stopped to let them pass. But a car heading east continued through and struck the pair. Police say the driver had been blinded by the early morning sun. Charges will not be filed against the driver. According to police, a volunteer firefighter who was following the car that hit the pair confirmed that they were not visible in the sun.

Police say the woman was unconscious for about 10 minutes but that when she came to, she said she did not want to leave the girl.

Police said a Dartmouth helicopter had landed at Chester Family Medicine but Golden Cross Ambulance, which responded first to the scene, decided to move the pair by ground to the Springfield Hospital Emergency Room.

Kim Leonard, of Chester-Andover Elementary School, said that the school has brought in extra counselors from the district crisis team and have set up safe rooms to offer support should children and staff need it.

Chester Police would not release the names of the victims. The Chester Telegraph will update this story as more information becomes available.