Family and friends mourn loss of 20-year-old woman fatally hit by car

WORCESTER, Mass. - Family and friends are mourning the loss of a 20-year-old Worcester woman who was hit and killed while crossing the street Tuesday night.

Police say Gabriella "Gabby" Lowell was in the crosswalk on Grafton Street when around 9 p.m., an SUV struck her. An ambulance rushed Lowell to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Lowell's grandfather, Ken Garabedian, told Boston 25 News Wednesday someone called the family to tell them he had seen Lowell walking in the area and that a terrible accident had occurred; he feared for Lowell's safety.

Lowell's mother rushed to the scene, but her only child had already been taken away, Garabedian said. The family gathered at the hospital where they were notified of her death.

"She was a wonderful girl," said Garabedian, who lived with Lowell and helped raise her. "She was a happy kid. She loved everybody. She had a heart of gold."

Garabedian said his "little Gabby" had been walking home from McDonald's where she had been with her girlfriend earlier, when she was struck by the SUV, less than a half-mile from their family home.

The 21-year-old driver stopped at the scene and cooperated with officers, police said. He had not been arrested by early Wednesday evening. It is unclear if he faces any charges.

Friends lit candles, shared memories and left pictures and balloons at the scene of the accident on Wednesday.

Lowell's friend Carolann Dudas told Boston 25 News she and Lowell had gone to Six Flags amusement park a couple weeks before the accident. They were celebrating life and having fun, she said.

"We went on the Superman [rollercoaster] and she had fun. She's like, 'Carolann, I did it!' She was so happy," Dudas said. "She was a good girl. Always positive."

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