Woman Found Guilty In Fatal Brockton Pedestrian Strike

BROCKTON, MA — A Cohasset woman was found guilty of killing a pedestrian in Brockton last year.

Valerie Semensi, 66, was convicted of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation. She was senteced to a year of probation and the loss of her license for 15 years.

At about 8:01 a.m. on June 1, 2016, Brockton Police responded to a call for a pedestrian struck on West Elm Street in Brockton. Upon arrival, police found a man, later identified as John A. Buckley of Bridgewater, laying on the sidewalk on West Elm Street, suffering from serious injuries. Buckley was transported to Brockton Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A police investigation indicated that Semensi was backing out of her spot in a courthouse parking lot when her vehicle accelerated in reverse and traveled over the curb of the parking spot, over grass, through a curbed driveway, up a grassy hill, through bushes and over a sidewalk, at which point the vehicle struck Buckley and knocked him to the ground. The SUV continued across West Elm Street before finally coming to rest against a building.

Semensi was distraught at the accident scene and remained behind to speak with police before she was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The conviction came following a three-day trial.

Information in this article was provided by the Plymouth County District Attorney's office.

Image via Shutterstock