Elderly Man, 86, Cited For Hitting East Haven Woman With His Car in Branford

A 67 year-old East Haven woman was injured this morning just after 9 a.m. as she was walking on the sidewalk next to Harrison Avenue, Branford police said in a press release.

The accident occurred as Robert McCarthy, 86, of 564 Totoket Road in Northford, was attempting to parallel park his car on Harrison Avenue, and mistakenly accelerated while backing into a parking space instead of braking, police said.

McCarthy’s automobile struck Rosemary Romano, 49, of 41 Estelle Road in East Haven, and a metal railing and eventually came to rest against a building, police said.

McCarthy was issued a moving citation for unsafe backing by Officer Robert Hart, who investigated the crash.

Romano was treated by Branford Fire Department paramedics and later transported to Yale New Haven Hospital for evaluation.