St. Charles pedestrian killed while walking bike across street

A woman living at a St. Charles retirement home was struck and killed Friday morning by a dump truck while she was trying to cross the street.

Police said a truck used to transport gravel struck Arlene "Kay" Marshall, 69, of St. Charles as she pushed her bicycle while crossing West Main Street/Route 64 where it intersects with North 2nd Street/Route 31. Emergency personnel responding to the accident determined Marshall was dead at the scene.

Marshall was a resident of Carroll Towers, a retirement community about a block away from the accident scene.

Police said the rear wheels of the dump truck collided with Marshall as it traveled west on Main Street and made a right turn to go north on 2nd Street around 7:21 a.m. Friday.

Second Street was closed for nearly four hours while the Geneva police, Illinois State Police and the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team assisted St. Charles personnel at the scene. Route 31 reopened at about noon.

Any charges against the driver of the dump truck are pending the outcome of the investigation. Footage from red-light cameras at the intersection is being used in the investigation.

St. Charles Police Department spokesman Paul McCurtain said no conclusive determination about what happened or who was at fault was expected to emerge after reviewing the footage Friday.

The intersection of the accident is well-known by witnesses in the area as a site where dump trucks often jump the curb while turning right on the way to the nearby gravel quarry.

There were no obvious fresh tire marks on the curb Friday morning after the accident. Witnesses said the truck driver did not seem to be aware he had collided with Marshall, causing her to be dragged for nearly a block before other motorists stopped the truck from continuing.

Marshall was a member of the choir at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles. Her father, Bill, was once the Sunday school superintendent, said the Rev. Ronni Verboom.

Verboom said Marshall frequently rode her bicycle and had just moved into Carroll Towers about three weeks ago.

"She was very excited about the move and very happy to be there," Verboom said. "She was feeling so happy and thinking of it as a new start. This is going to be a shock to our whole congregation. She was just loved by everyone who knew her.

"The positive thing is no one will feel as though they had unfinished business with Kay. And that's because she really had the gift of being able to have close relationships with people," he said. "When you lose someone like this, it's a reminder that nothing is a given. Tomorrow is not guaranteed."