Lynn woman arraigned in fatal 2012 accident

LYNN – A judge ordered a city woman not to drive without a valid Massachusetts license after police charged her with speeding and motor vehicle homicide in a fatal December 2012 accident at Market and Broad streets.”The operator of the striking vehicle told (the officer) that the traffic signal was changing and she was trying to get through the intersection,” Lynn Police Officer John Meaney wrote in a report.Susan Hobbs, 66, of 24 Northside Ave., was charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation; and speeding in the Dec. 11, 2012 accident that killed David Lemon, 72, as he walked to work.Hobbs was arraigned on the charge Monday morning in Lynn District Court where a plea of not guilty was entered on her behalf.Police responded to the intersection of Market and Broad streets at approximately 5:50 a.m. Dec. 11, 2012 on the report of a serious motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian.Hobbs allegedly told police she was on her way to work at Whole Foods in Swampscott and was trying to beat the light, which was changing from green. Police said Hobbs reported she didn’t realize she had hit anything until she saw her windshield was damaged. Hobbs allegedly turned the car around and saw a man in the road and called 911. Police reported Hobbs was “visibly shaken” and had no signs of alcohol or drug use.Lemon died from blunt force trauma to the head/neck and left leg, according to the autopsy. Lemon’s family said he was also on his way to work that morning. He walked every morning to Turner Inc. on Commercial Street.Massachusetts State Trooper Dana Atkinson concluded Hobbs was driving between 33 and 39 mph in a 30-mph zone before hitting Lemon, according to Meaney’s report. She “would have been able to stop for the impending red light,” Meaney wrote, citing Atkinson’s report.Judge Antoinette Leoney ordered Hobbs not to drive without a valid Massachusetts license and to return to court Feb. 20.Hobbs’ attorney could not be reached for comment on Monday evening.