PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The driver accused of hitting and killing an elderly woman with his car in Providence over the weekend has been cited, according to authorities.
Lindsay Lague, a spokesperson for the Providence Police Department, confirmed Ka Xiong was hit by a car Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Potters Avenue and Baxter Street.
Xiong was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Robin Xiong, one of her relatives, told 12 News she later succumbed to her injuries.
Witnesses told police the driver, a 27-year-old man, was turning left onto Potters Avenue when he hit the 89-year-old woman as she crossed the street.
The driver, who Lague said remained on scene, told responding officers he didn’t see Ka and wasn’t entirely sure whether he’d hit her.
Police eventually confirmed that the driver did, in fact, hit Ka with his car. Lague said the officers noticed a “fresh smudge mark” on the hood of his vehicle.
The driver was cited for violating the Due Care by Drivers Law.
Robin believes Ka was on her way home from the Peace & Plenty Community Garden when she was hit, since that’s where she spent most of her time.
“One gardener called her the heart and soul of the garden,” garden leader Doug Victor said. “I believe she had an individual relationship with each plant that she planted.”
Victor said the garden community plans on honoring Ka’s life in the coming weeks. In the meantime, he said volunteers have stepped up to water her plants and keep them alive.
