Cranston Woman, 87, Hit And Killed By Box Truck

CRANSTON, RI — An elderly Cranston woman was killed in a crash on Cranston Street Friday morning, police said. Eva Robinson, 87, died after she was hit by a box truck just before 11 a.m.

The crash happened near the intersection of Cranston Street and Weston Avenue. Robinson was walking when she was hit, and was found under the truck's trailer. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver and their company are fully cooperating with the investigation, police said, and the driver showed no signs of impairments at the scene. There is a crosswalk and crossing signal at the intersection.

According to police, the truck was headed south on Cranston Street and stopped for a red light at the intersection with McCabe Street, and was the first vehicle behind the crosswalk. When the signal changed, the truck started to move forward, at which point Robinson stepped out to cross the street, out of view of the driver. The driver stopped as soon as he realized something was wrong, police said.

At this time, no charges have been filed against the driver, and there is no evidence of wrongdoing, police said. The investigation is still ongoing.

One person was arrested at the scene, police said, though they were not part of the actual crash. While police were investigating, the area was cordoned off with crime scene tape. The man, who was "believed to be seeking attention" skateboarded past police officers, who yelled at him to stop, and into the cordoned off area.

"The officers acted swiftly as he became belligerent yelling and holding his skateboard in the air to get the attention of the media as to what we believe, so he could be seen on camera and get some publicity at the expense of the victim and this investigation," Major Todd Patalano said. "He is not related in any way to the victim or the operator and is unfortunate that this individual would sink to this level for attention."

Philip Calabro, 29, of Cranston was charged with resisting arrest and obstructing an officer in execution of duty.