S.C. WOMAN IS STRUCK, KILLED BY OCEAN CITY PASSENGER TRAM
A South Carolina woman was killed over the weekend in Ocean City, Md., when she was struck by a Jeep-propelled passenger tram that transports tourists along the resort city's busy pedestrian boardwalk, Ocean City police said yesterday.
Police said the woman apparently darted between the coaches in the train-like vehicle that is a familiar sight to the thousands of tourists who visit the beach and popular boardwalk each year.
Officials said they have reason to believe that Cara Fay Wilkinson, 30, of Pelion, S.C., might have been under the influence of alcohol when she dashed between the second and third passenger cars of the tram about 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Before William B. Hassler, the train operator, could stop the slow-moving vehicle, Wilkinson became pinned under the front wheels of the third coach. Tourists and rescue personnel quickly got Wilkinson free. She was flown to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md., where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Hassler, 68, of Berlin, Md., declined to comment yesterday. No charges are expected against him, officials said.
The boardwalk train system is operated by the Ocean City Department of Transportation, whose officials could not be reached for comment. This is believed to be the first fatality involving the tram, which has been used in Maryland's most popular resort town for decades.
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