Teen dies in Barron Road accident

The Poplar Bluff teenager who was struck Monday afternoon by a vehicle while walking on Barron Road has died from her injuries.

The Memphis, Tennessee, medical examiner contacted Butler County Coroner Andy Moore on Wednesday morning regarding the death of Macie Elizabeth Williams. The 19-year-old had been flown to Regional One in Memphis for treatment.

“He said she passed away on the 29th, which was (Tuesday),” said Moore, who indicated the teen died as a result of the trauma/injuries she suffered in the accident.

The crash occurred at 4:51 p.m. as Norma Kay Lloyd, 80, of the 200 block of River Road was operating a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee westbound on Barron Road, west of Katy Lane, according to Poplar Bluff Police Patrolman Cody Trout’s report.

Lloyd, Trout said, reported she “did not see any pedestrian. (She) stated she was driving and felt a bump.”

A motorist, who was driving behind Lloyd’s SUV, reported “he observed the pedestrian walking eastbound in the westbound lane of Barron,” Trout said. “(He) stated the pedestrian was walking partially in the roadway when he observed (the SUV) collide into the pedestrian.”

Another witness, Trout said, did not see the collision, but did see Williams “knocked down into the ditch after being struck …”

Lloyd, according to police Lt. Josh Stewart, wasn’t “doing anything wrong. It was one of those deals (where) she came around the curve, felt a bump and that was it.”

Stewart earlier said Lloyd did not “appear under the influence, was not (driving) erratic or speeding or anything like that.”

Typically, Stewart said, Barron Road is not an area where officers see people walking.

“If we do, they’re very few and far between,” Stewart said. “ … If people in that area want to walk, there is a walking track at McLane Park. There are other options than walking on the road” unless someone is trying to get from “point A to point B.”

As far as Williams, Stewart said, it is not known “what she was doing, out for a walk or heading somewhere.”

The section of Barron Road where the crash occurred isn’t a frequent location for crashes, Stewart said.

“Typically, if we have them, it’s where the streets intersect with one another” as vehicles or pedestrians are crossing, said Stewart. “This area had no intersecting streets. It was just an oddball incident; it wasn’t one of the norms.”

Stewart suggested anyone walking along a city street to walk facing oncoming traffic, “so they have time to react. We also see people walking with earbuds or headphones.

“I would suggest leaving one out, so they can hear things and have time to react.”