Tragedy on Lancaster Drive: 67-Year-Old Woman Fatally Struck by SUV in Northeast Salem
- Sally Davis
- Aug 18, 2024
- 2 min read
Salem, OR – August 18, 2024
Let’s be honest, nobody thinks about Lancaster Drive as the place where their life will suddenly meet its dramatic conclusion. But for 67-year-old Teresita Telesfora Millard, a woman who probably just wanted to get to the other side of the street, Lancaster Drive became the final chapter in a life that ended under the wheels of a Ford SUV.
It was Wednesday at 11:40 a.m., that time of the day when most of us are debating if it’s too early to sneak out for lunch. Millard, being more ambitious than most, was heading eastbound in the crosswalk at the intersection of Lancaster Drive and Wolverine Street NE when the universe decided to pull a fast one on her. The traffic light turned green, and so did Millard, unfortunately into the path of an SUV driver in the left turn lane who, whether from inattention or a momentary lapse of sanity, proceeded to plow right into her.
It was a spectacularly bad day for both parties. Millard was rushed to Salem Health with injuries that anyone would describe as “life-threatening” and “critical,” which is medical speak for “this isn’t going to end well.” She hung on for a few days but eventually succumbed to her injuries on Saturday.
As for the driver? Well, they didn’t bolt. Points for that. They stayed, perhaps in shock, perhaps realizing the tragic weight of what had just happened. Cooperation was key, and they offered it up like a sacrificial lamb. Still, the Salem Police Traffic Team, in their usual unsmiling efficiency, wrote the driver up for a trio of infractions: failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, driving without a license, and of course, driving uninsured—because why wouldn’t this get worse?
The case, now thoroughly documented, will make its way to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office. The fatality, the 16th this year in Salem, adds a sad tally mark to a city that is getting too used to this kind of news.
For anyone looking to avoid becoming a statistic, maybe think twice before crossing Lancaster Drive. Or at least, don’t do it in the path of an SUV.
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