Massachusetts State Police have identified the woman who was killed in an automobile accident Tuesday night on I-93 and now believe she was ejected from her car before being struck in the travel lane.
Police said 43-year-old Kristina Lee of Tewksbury died after, according to an investigation, she was ejected from her 2002 Ford Escape after losing control of it around 10:30 p.m. on I-93 north, between exits 38 and 39. After the Escape hit the guardrail and the woman was thrown, the report said, the vehicle returned to the roadway, continued northbound unoccupied and came to rest in the woodline. The woman was then struck by a 2004 Honda CRV, driven by a 24-year-old Methuen man, who remained at the scene.
A preliminary report initially suggested the woman was walking on I-93 north after her own vehicle crashed. The crash remains under investigation by State Police.
After the Ford Escape was towed to a tow yard, it reportedly caught fire and had to be extinguished by Wilmington Fire.