Police release name of 77-year-old woman killed in Rhode Island pedestrian collision

Colonel Michael J. Winquist, Chief of the Cranston Police Department, announces that investigators from the department’s Traffic Unit continue to investigate a car-pedestrian crash that resulted in a fatality.

On Friday, just before 7:45 p.m., Cranston Police Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a female pedestrian had been struck by a motor vehicle in front of 41 Strathmore Road.

Members of the Cranston Police and Fire Department responded and found an unresponsive woman lying at the end of the driveway of 41 Strathmore Road. Rescue personnel attempted CPR and other lifesaving measures to no avail. She was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. The woman is identified as 77-year-old Lundy Braun of Strathmore Road.

The driver, a twenty-five-year-old woman from Pawtucket, and a passenger remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators. She advised that she was backing out of the driveway after visiting 41 Strathmore and did not realize anyone was behind her before she felt the impact. When she exited her vehicle, she realized she had struck a person and immediately ran to a nearby residence to summon medical aid. Officers noted the driver showed no signs of alcohol or drug impairment.

The vehicle, described as a 2009 Toyota Highlander, was towed to Cranston Police Department for further examination. The driver has been released with no charges at this time.

Braun frequently walked in the area and was struck near her residence. The exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined.

Braun is known for being a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Africana Studies at Brown University. She was the author of Breathing Race into the Machine:  The Surprising Career of the Spirometer from Plantation to Genetics (University of Minnesota Press, 2014), for which she received the 2018 Ludwig Fleck Award from the 4S (and Honorable Mention for the 2017 Rachel Carson Award.)

Colonel Winquist stated, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Braun’s family as they deal with this tragic event, as well with the driver and passenger, who were obviously extremely distraught.”