Worcester To Memorialize Woman Killed By Texting Driver

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester officials on Wednesday will dedicate a memorial and debut a new traffic light for a woman who was hit and killed by a distracted outside the Roosevelt School nearly three years ago.

Gabriella "Gabby" Lowell, 20, was in a crosswalk near the Grafton Street school when Tyler Hamilton hit her in June 2018.

On Wednesday, Mayor Joseph Petty, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., Worcester County DA Joseph Early Jr. and District 2 Councilor George Russel will dedicate a plaque honoring Lowell. Worcester has also installed a flashing light near the crosswalk where Lowell was hit to prevent future incidents.

Hamilton, now 23, pleaded guilty to a charge of motor vehicular homicide by negligent operation, and was sentenced in May 2019 to probation and community service. That sentencing decision spurred Lowell's mother, Alyson Lowell, to fight to increase the penalty for drivers who kill someone while distracted. The offense is still a misdemeanor without the presence of drugs or alcohol.

Alyson Lowell has been working with Russell and other Worcester officials to get "Gabby's Light" installed to make the roadway safer for pedestrians.

"Nobody stops up there for pedestrians. I’ve seen it, and it’s extremely dangerous," she told Boston 25 in September.