An 86-year-old Darien woman known in her neighborhood as an avid walker died after she was struck less than a block from her home by a vehicle backing out of a driveway, police said Thursday.
Barbara Murdza was struck as she walked in the street in the 8800 block Robert Road about 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, Darien police said. Murdza, of the 2200 block of Shannon Court, was transported to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove by the Darien-Woodridge Fire Department. She died a short time later of her injuries, police said.
“She was a wonderful woman who was known by everyone,” neighbor Joe Campagna said. “She’d walk around the neighborhood two or three times a day. She would just wave to everybody who would drive by.”
Darien police and the DuPage County Felony Investigative Assistance Team are looking into the death, law enforcement officials said. Police do not know when the investigation will be completed, and charges have not been filed, police said Thursday.
“It’s an unfortunate thing that happened. If they had seen the person they probably would have been able to stop,” said Deputy Chief John Cooper. “Any time you’re operating a motor vehicle you have to take the extra time to look.”
Campagna, who called the neighborhood “tight-knit,” described Murdza as a quiet woman who was known for being health-conscious.
“She was like a grandma to a lot of us in the neighborhood,” Campagna said.
