92-year-old woman hit by Jeep while using crosswalk in downtown Ocean Springs, police say
Two elderly women were using a crosswalk in front of an arts center in downtown Ocean Springs when one of them was hit by a vehicle and seriously injured, police say.
It happened on Government Street in front of the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center at 6:24 p.m. Jan. 16. There was an art gallery opening and music performance at the center that night.
The two women, ages 80 and 92 and sisters, were crossing the street when an eastbound Jeep SUV hit Marcella Ellis Upton, and both women fell to the ground, Ocean Springs Police Capt. William Jackson said.
Both women were taken to Ocean Springs Hospital. Upton, 92, was then transferred to the University of South Alabama University Hospital.
The impact fractured Upton’s neck and injured one of her elbows and caused other injuries, Jackson said, while the other woman had minor injuries.
According to police, the Jeep’s driver said he was going about 2 mph when he hit Upton. He said he and his son had been to the gas station and were on their way home.
Once he hit Upton, the investigating officer’s report said, the driver got out his vehicle and found the two women lying in the street near his left front wheel. A witness later told police the driver did not appear to be speeding, Jackson said.
One of the women told police she and Upton were crossing the street slowly because Upton uses a cane. She said she saw the oncoming Jeep but felt she and Upton had enough time to cross the street safely, the report said.
The impact from the crash broke the lens on the Jeep’s left headlight, damaged the front of the Jeep and cracked the windshield wiper bottle.
The crash remains under investigation.
Pedestrians always have right of way on all marked crosswalks, according to Mississippi law.
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
