Southampton woman badly hurt after being hit by car

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON - A woman hit by a car while walking on Pomeroy Meadow Road Saturday morning remains in critical condition at Baystate Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said this morning.

Bonnie Burt, 65, of 6 Thomas Circle, Southampton was walking with a friend in the eastbound breakdown lane when she was struck from behind by a Ford Taurus operated by Samantha Duffy, 25, of 4 David St., in Southampton, who crossed the westbound lane, according to Lt. Michael Goyette, at 8:15 a.m.

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident and Goyette said Duffy may face charges, though it remains unclear what those charges would be.

Goyette said Burt was rushed by ambulance to the Springfield hospital, where she was admitted, and remains listed in critical condition, hospital spokesman Keith O'Connor said.

Nancy Gwinner, who lives near the scene of the accident and often walks along the same patch of road, said pedestrians are forced to walk in the breakdown lane.

"The sidewalk ends and the speed limit on that road is 40 and people tend to go all of it," Gwinner said.

"What's scary is that this person crossed the line and hit her from behind, so she wouldn't have even been aware that someone was coming. I walk my dog there all the time and that's just really scary." Goyette said police are still looking into the cause of the accident and initial investigation suggested that speed wasn't a factor.

"That isn't necessarily a problem road and I don't think speeding had anything to do with this," Goyette said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com