State Street in Harrisburg (file photo)
The death of a woman killed after being struck by multiple cars on State Street has been ruled a suicide.
During a Thursday press conference, Harrisburg police Lt. Kyle Gautsch said that the woman, whose name has not been released, purposely lied down in the middle of the eastbound lanes of the 1600-block of State Street, where she was struck by two vehicles on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital, where she died of her injuries.
“The adult female did intentionally enter into the roadway and did intentionally lie down in front of traveling vehicles when she was struck by two different cars,” Gautsch said. “That is the unfortunate circumstance.”
According to Gautsch, eyewitness testimony and video evidence both support the finding of death by suicide, which also was affirmed on Thursday by the Dauphin County coroner’s office.
He added that police are not currently pursuing charges against the drivers who struck the woman.
“There have been other accidents in the State Street corridor area, but this is not one of those that, unfortunately, in my opinion, could have been avoided without some kind of intervention with this young lady,” Gautsch said.
Over the years, a spate of accidents and fatalities has given State Street in Allison Hill a reputation for being dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. At least five people died on the street over a short time period in 2017 and 2018.
The accidents prompted the city to draw up plans to improve safety on the street, in conjunction with the PA Department of Transportation, which owns the road.
PennDOT began construction last year, but the city halted the project after some residents complained that the re-designed road would force them to move their parked cars twice daily.
Ultimately, the city outlined a new plan that retained full street parking, eliminated proposed bicycle lanes and kept the current configuration of two eastbound and two westbound lanes. The new lanes, however, would be reduced in width from 12 to 11 feet, with a 10-foot-wide turning lane.
At the press conference on Thursday, Matt Maisel, the city’s communications director, said that contractors are slated to resume work this spring on the project, which also includes new ADA-accessible intersections, brighter lighting, textured crosswalks and new pavement.
Maisel said that the original plan did not include repaving the road, but, following an analysis, PennDOT determined that the street needed to be repaved and will pick up the $1.5 million cost.
The project should be completed by the end of 2023, he said.
Gautsch urged anyone contemplating suicide, or if they know anyone who is, to contact Dauphin County Intervention or the PA Suicide Prevention Task Force.
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