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06-13-2002, 11:28 AM
<A HREF=http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/164/metro/Elderly_woman_killed_by_sweeping_machine-.shtml>HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!</A>
Elderly woman killed by sweeping machine
By Emily Ramshaw, Globe Correspondent and Douglas Belkin, Globe Staff, 6/13/2002
A street sweeper moving about 2 miles per hour knocked down and killed an elderly pedestrian in Charlestown yesterday, dragging her into the machine in front of the Bunker Hill Monument.
A Boston Emergency Medical Services official at the scene of the 9:15 a.m. accident at High and Pleasant streets said the brushes had to be taken off the machine so rescuers could remove the victim.
The identity of the victim was not released by authorities yesterday. But she was identified by her son-in-law, Maurice O'Shea, as Anne Callahan, 83, a lifelong Charlestown resident and mother of four, including a Boston police officer.
''It was a terrible, terrible tragedy. It's a horrific way to die,'' O'Shea said. He said that Callahan had been out shopping, had just parked her car, and was probably heading to her home nearby when she was hit.
''She was a wonderful mother,'' he said. Callahan wore a hearing aid, but was in good health.
Police said they were sorting out how the accident happened, and whether there were any witnesses. The aftermath attracted dozens of onlookers.
Newton resident Donna Paglia said she was working on her home about a block away and heard screaming at the accident scene.
Until a year ago, O'Shea said, Callahan worked at the nearby USS Constitution Museum.
Callahan's former co-workers at the museum, where she worked for about a decade as a sales associate in the store, were stunned to hear about her death.
''She was a very kindhearted, generous person,'' said Burt Logan, executive director of the museum. ''She had dinner with her family every Sunday; she really kept those connections.''
Logan said if she had a hearing loss, it never interfered with her work. ''It's just a horrible thing to have happen in your neighborhood,'' she said.
Paul Scapicchio, a city councilor who represents Charlestown, said the driver of the sweeper, Glen Hopkins of Danvers, flagged down a police car immediately after the incident, and then had to be taken from the scene because he was so traumatized.
A woman who answered the telephone at Hopkins's home said she had no comment.
Hopkins works for JK Municipal Services, which owns the Elgin Pelican 2000 sweeper involved in the accident. The company cleans Charlestown streets weekly.
David Rodham, manager at the Middleton company, said this is the first time JK Municipal, which has provided the Boston Public Works Department with employees and a fleet of 15 sweepers for the past three years, has ever had an accident of this nature. He said all drivers receive at least 40 hours of training on the two sweeper models used by the company before they can start sweeping on their own.
Rodham also said that while they are not equipped with special safety features to prevent these kinds of accidents, the machines are painted bright yellow, have flashing lights, are extremely noisy, and move so slowly that they can typically only clean 7 miles in a working shift. The driver's seat is located high on the right side of the truck so that the curb is highly visible, he said.
''We think the chances of negligence are slim, as this is a highly unusual incident,'' Rodham said.
''We are just going to show our sympathy and hurt at this point, and deal with the consequences as they come up.''
Serious accidents involving street sweepers are rare, although there have been pedestrians run over and killed in the past.
In September 2000, a 29-year-old pregnant woman was run over while crossing the street with her 4-year-old daughter in Washington, D.C. The mother was killed when she was pulled under the sweeper; the daughter was struck by one of the machine's brushes and knocked onto the sidewalk. She survived.
Other accidents have happened in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Orlando, and Welland,
Elderly woman killed by sweeping machine
By Emily Ramshaw, Globe Correspondent and Douglas Belkin, Globe Staff, 6/13/2002
A street sweeper moving about 2 miles per hour knocked down and killed an elderly pedestrian in Charlestown yesterday, dragging her into the machine in front of the Bunker Hill Monument.
A Boston Emergency Medical Services official at the scene of the 9:15 a.m. accident at High and Pleasant streets said the brushes had to be taken off the machine so rescuers could remove the victim.
The identity of the victim was not released by authorities yesterday. But she was identified by her son-in-law, Maurice O'Shea, as Anne Callahan, 83, a lifelong Charlestown resident and mother of four, including a Boston police officer.
''It was a terrible, terrible tragedy. It's a horrific way to die,'' O'Shea said. He said that Callahan had been out shopping, had just parked her car, and was probably heading to her home nearby when she was hit.
''She was a wonderful mother,'' he said. Callahan wore a hearing aid, but was in good health.
Police said they were sorting out how the accident happened, and whether there were any witnesses. The aftermath attracted dozens of onlookers.
Newton resident Donna Paglia said she was working on her home about a block away and heard screaming at the accident scene.
Until a year ago, O'Shea said, Callahan worked at the nearby USS Constitution Museum.
Callahan's former co-workers at the museum, where she worked for about a decade as a sales associate in the store, were stunned to hear about her death.
''She was a very kindhearted, generous person,'' said Burt Logan, executive director of the museum. ''She had dinner with her family every Sunday; she really kept those connections.''
Logan said if she had a hearing loss, it never interfered with her work. ''It's just a horrible thing to have happen in your neighborhood,'' she said.
Paul Scapicchio, a city councilor who represents Charlestown, said the driver of the sweeper, Glen Hopkins of Danvers, flagged down a police car immediately after the incident, and then had to be taken from the scene because he was so traumatized.
A woman who answered the telephone at Hopkins's home said she had no comment.
Hopkins works for JK Municipal Services, which owns the Elgin Pelican 2000 sweeper involved in the accident. The company cleans Charlestown streets weekly.
David Rodham, manager at the Middleton company, said this is the first time JK Municipal, which has provided the Boston Public Works Department with employees and a fleet of 15 sweepers for the past three years, has ever had an accident of this nature. He said all drivers receive at least 40 hours of training on the two sweeper models used by the company before they can start sweeping on their own.
Rodham also said that while they are not equipped with special safety features to prevent these kinds of accidents, the machines are painted bright yellow, have flashing lights, are extremely noisy, and move so slowly that they can typically only clean 7 miles in a working shift. The driver's seat is located high on the right side of the truck so that the curb is highly visible, he said.
''We think the chances of negligence are slim, as this is a highly unusual incident,'' Rodham said.
''We are just going to show our sympathy and hurt at this point, and deal with the consequences as they come up.''
Serious accidents involving street sweepers are rare, although there have been pedestrians run over and killed in the past.
In September 2000, a 29-year-old pregnant woman was run over while crossing the street with her 4-year-old daughter in Washington, D.C. The mother was killed when she was pulled under the sweeper; the daughter was struck by one of the machine's brushes and knocked onto the sidewalk. She survived.
Other accidents have happened in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Orlando, and Welland,