Dec. 09--A Lexington fire truck was not en route to an emergency call when it hit and killed a woman walking in downtown Lexington late Saturday, police said.
The pedestrian was identified by the Fayette County Coroner's office early Sunday as Lauren Roady, 27, of Washington, DC. The cause of death was listed as multiple blunt force trauma.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Sunday in Frankfort. The coroner's report said the death is being investigated as accidental.
Roady died after being struck by the Lexington Division of Fire's Engine 9 at the corner of Broadway and Main Street about 10:15 p.m., Lt. Richard Willoby said. The police Collision Reconstruction Unit was investigating.
Willoby said the fire truck was "non-Signal 9" when the wreck occurred, meaning its lights and sirens were not activated.
"They were driving with traffic. They were in route actually to the hospital to pick up their crew," he said.
The incident initially was reported as a hit and run, but when police and rescue workers arrived they found that was not the case, David Biroschik of the Lexington police said; instead, they learned the fire engine had hit Roady.
The truck appeared to have been driving southwest on Broadway; it was parked on Broadway between Main Street and High Street beside Triangle Park, inside an area cordoned off by police.
Roady's body was near the crosswalk across Broadway, though Willoby said Sunday morning it was too early to tell whether she was in the crosswalk when the wreck happened. It also was unclear which direction she was headed or who had the right of way, he said.
Police were reviewing surveillance camera footage in the area "to look and see exactly where she was."
As police continued investigating about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Roady's body remained on Broadway by the Christmas tree in Triangle Park, covered by a white sheet. Dozens of passersby leaving bars about 1 a.m. glanced curiously at the scene, some gasping.
Police directed pedestrians away from the scene, which was blocked off by a dozen police cars and yellow police tape.
Willoby said police had been using cameras and "high-tech" scanners to take measurements and document the scene.
"We want to make sure we document the scene the best we can," he said.
Roady's body was loaded into the coroner's van about 1:45 a.m. Sunday. Police said they would be investigating for several more hours.
The fire department was not commenting on the incident late Saturday.
On Sunday afternoon, Lexington mayor Jim Gray issued a statement that said police were conducting a full investigation as they do with all traffic fatalities, with results anticipated around the first of the year.
"Today I want to reach out to her family to express our sympathy for their loss," Gray's statement said of Roady's family. "You are in our prayers. If my office can be of assistance, please let us know.
Copyright 2012 - Lexington Herald-Leader
