An 87-year-old woman who died after being hit by a car in a Hamilton shopping centre carpark has been identified as Vera Moss Freeman.
Ms Freeman, who is the Waikato's third pedestrian fatality this month, suffered serious leg injuries as a result of the 10.20am incident at the Horsham Downs Shopping Centre in Rototuna yesterday. She died soon after at Waikato Hospital.
Her death, which follows that of two other elderly pedestrians struck by cars in the Waikato, has prompted police to urge caution for all road users this weekend.
"In expressing our condolences to her family we note hers is the third pedestrian fatality in the Waikato this year and it occurred at a time when the Waikato is about to host two events where tens of thousands of pedestrians will be milling around a large volume of vehicles," said Inspector Freda Grace, Waikato district road policing manager, said,
The Beach Hop in Whangamata and the Balloons Over Waikato festival in Hamilton would bring a lot of traffic to the region, with Saturday expected to be the busiest day for each event.
A 64-year-old pedestrian died on Whatawhata Rd on March 6 and an 88-year-old man died in hospital 10 days after being struck by a vehicle on State Highway 1 at Karapiro.
