SKOWHEGAN — A Skowhegan woman tending to her injured dog on the road in front of her house also was struck by a car and taken to the hospital Tuesday.

Police did not have the woman’s name, but her neighbor, Brenda Washburn, identified her as Lorrie McKusick. Washburn said she lives about a mile away from McKusick on Middle Road and that they have been friends for years. She said McKusick had two dogs, including Gunther, the one that was hit.

She said she has been in touch with the family through Facebook and that McKusick is undergoing surgery but is expected to make a full recovery.

The accident happened around 5:20 a.m. when police were notified about a person hit by a car near the intersection with Varney Road, said Deputy Police Chief Dan Summers.

He said when police arrived at the scene, they discovered that both the dog and McKusick had been hit by cars in separate accidents.

He said she appeared to have been standing in the middle of the road, trying to take care of the dog, when a northbound car stopped to help her.

She was still standing in the road when a southbound vehicle struck her, Summers said.

McKusick was taken to Redington-Fairview General Hospital by ambulance for a leg injury and has been transferred to another hospital, Summers said.

The dog was found dead at the scene, he said.

Police still are investigating the accident and have not identified the driver whose car hit the dog. Summers said he is not sure whether the driver who hit the woman will be charged. He did not release the driver’s name.

“It sounds like the way the dog was laying and the way the road curves may have made it hard to slow down,” he said.

Summers asked anyone with information about the incident to call the Skowhegan Police Department at 474-6908, ext. 124; or the anonymous tip line at 474-6915, ext. 127.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
rohm@mainetoday.com