Crime & Safety

Clawson Woman Killed Trying to Save Turtle in North Carolina

Family says the elderly woman had a love for animals.

A 70-year-old Clawson woman died Sunday evening after being struck by a vehicle on a highway in Greenville, NC, while trying to save a turtle.

Mary Kathryn Kramer was driving on U.S. 264 at about 6 p.m. when she saw a turtle in the road and pulled over into the median to remove it, The Daily Reflector in Greenville reports.

Another driver, an 84-year-old Washington, NC, woman, did not see Kramer in the roadway before hitting her with the front right end of the her vehicle, State Highway Patrol Trooper A.B. Smith told The Daily Reflector. The driver will not face charges.

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The driver "said she never saw her,” Smith said, as reported by The Daily Reflector. “She said it was almost like she fell out of the sky.” Kramer was pronounced dead at the scene, the newspaper reported.

Kramer was in North Carolina visiting friends and family, her sister-in-law Joan Kramer told Clawson Patch.

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Joan Kramer described Mary Kramer as an environmentalist and massive book reader who had a love for animals. She said Mary Kramer was active with the local Humane Society groups, animal shelters and animal rescues.

"I would say that she was very gentle," Joan Kramer said. "She was one of the most organized people I knew."

in Troy will be handling the funeral arrangements. Joan Kramer said she expects the funeral service will be later this week at in Clawson.

Keep checking the Clawson Patch for more developments on this story.


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