A 63-year-old woman in Texas lost her footing as she crossed a sidewalk that abruptly ends in her path and rolled head-first into a light pole, local media reported.
Footage of the incident posted on the ABC affiliate’s Facebook page shows Juanita Carrillo’s head lodged between the pole and brick curb.
“It was a tragedy,” Austin police Sergeant James Pickett said, as reported by The Eagle. “It was probably one of the worst accidents we’ve ever seen in the department in years.”
Pickett said Carrillo had just bought two blocks of sidewalk and was out in a neighborhood that was “disturbingly deserted at night” during the fatal accident.
The light pole shattered from the impact and Carrillo was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
Authorities said they were not sure if the sidewalk was damaged at the time it collapsed but have closed it off to motorists for the time being.
No arrests have been made, Pickett told the Associated Press, and it is unclear what caused the sidewalk to fall apart.
