A New Bedford woman was killed Monday night when she ran out onto a highway in Westport and was hit by a car following a fight with her boyfriend, Massachusetts State Police announced Wednesday.
Investigators have determined that 51-year-old Sherry Henderson was traveling east on the highway in a car her boyfriend was driving when they got into an argument and pulled over, state police said in a press release. Henderson got out of the car and entered the right travel lane where she was hit by a Ford Fusion.
The driver of the Fusion — a 21-year-old New Bedford woman — stayed at the scene of the crash, but Henderson’s boyfriend drove away from the scene before first responders arrived, state police said. He later called New Bedford police to report that Henderson had been hit on the highway, at which point he was interviewed by state police.
The driver of the Fusion told troopers that she was driving east on I-195 when she saw the car in front of her suddenly move into the middle lane, state police said. She struck Henderson immediately after, but then pulled over and called 911.
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Two other drivers who witnessed the crash told investigators that Henderson “suddenly ran out into the roadway, causing one car to swerve to avoid her, before she was struck by the second car which was not able to avoid hitting her,” state police wrote in the release. The driver of the Fusion showed no signs of impairment.
Troopers responded to the crash at 10:05 p.m. on April 15 and found Henderson in the roadway with “obvious fatal injuries,” state police said. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office is set to perform a postmortem examination of Henderson’s body.
State police are still investigating the crash. It is unclear if state police plan to file any charges in connection with the case. No further information — including the identities of the Fusion driver and Henderson’s boyfriend — has been released.