Driver to be Charged After Allegedly Striking, Injuring Skateboarder

A 76-year-old Salem woman will face charges that she struck a skateboarder with her car and left the scene on Sunday night on Bridge Street.

The incident occurred at 9:56 p.m. - just after the fireworks ended at Derby Wharf – on Bridge Street near Howard Street.

The 18-year-old skateboarder, who lives nearby at Jefferson at Salem Station, was thrown from his skateboard and taken by ambulance to Salem Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

Police said the woman was driving west in her Ford C-Max sedan on Bridge Street when she struck the skateboarder who was crossing the street. The skateboarder was thrown to ground and the car was damaged on the front of the driver’s side.

At first, the driver left the scene but returned shortly after the crash. She was issued a summons to appear in court to face charges of leaving the scene of a personal injury crash. In addition to the charges against the driver, the skateboarder was issued a ticket for allegedly violating the city ordinance prohibiting skateboarding on a public street.