Woman hit in crosswalk recovering

PONDERAY — A Sandpoint woman who was struck and dragged beneath a pickup truck in a Walmart Supercenter crosswalk is recovering and the motorist who hit her is facing a charge of reckless driving.

Susan Delducco was exiting from the store’s western entrance when a westbound pickup truck crashed into her and dragged her on the ground for more than 10 feet before an onlooker intervened and was able to get the driver to stop the vehicle.

“Somebody pounded on his window or he wouldn’t have come to a stop. He was still moving when she came out the door and started banging on his window,” said Delducco, 70.

Delducco said she looked both ways and believed she had made eye contact with the driver of the 1976 Chevrolet pickup truck before stepping into the crosswalk.

After being knocked down, Delducco said her left leg was run over and her pants became entangled on something on the rig’s undercarriage.

“It just blew my leg right open,” said Delducco.

Miraculously, Delducco’s leg was not fractured and she did not suffer serious muscle damage, although a photo of the leg injury she keeps on her mobile phone testifies to its gruesome nature.

Delducco has undergone surgery to repair skin damage, but doctors said she will likely need grafts.

The motorist who hit her, meanwhile, is facing a misdemeanor charge, court records show. Although it was after dark and snowing at the time of the Nov. 3 incident, a Ponderay Police report indicates the crosswalk was clearly painted and illuminated by overhead lighting.

Carl Joseph Hammill, 56, also of Sandpoint, told police he did not attempt to stop because he did not see Delducco, the police report said. Hammill’s speed at the point of impact was estimated to 5-8 mph.

Inattention and visual impairment are listed as contributing factors to the crash, the report said. Ponderay Police also recommended that Hammill’s driving privileges be evaluated due to physical limitations.

An arraignment in Hammill’s case is set for Dec. 6 in Bonner County Magistrate Court.

Delducco is recovering at a local assisted-living facility and she’s agreed to let her doctor have nursing students from Sandpoint High School observe the wound being dressed and undressed for educational purposes.

“There were a few who got pretty faint. One of them passed out,” she said.

Delducco, who some know as the Ladybug Lady because of a small ornamental insect she wears in her hair, said she’s grateful for the bystander who intervened and got Hammill to stop.