Police tight-lipped about cause of fatal SUV crash

The Juneau Police Department is still not saying what contributed to the fatal SUV crash that killed a 77-year-old pedestrian on Willoughby Avenue earlier this month.

Citing the ongoing investigation, JPD spokeswoman Erann Kalwara declined to discuss what may have led up to the death of Joseph Rafferty, who was struck by a 1991 Ford Explorer near a crosswalk in front of Foodland IGA Shopping Center on May 13.

“At this point, we can’t comment on those specifics as the information can have a detrimental impact to the ongoing investigation,” Kalwara said by email.

Police have not arrested, charged or cited the 20-year-old female driver who was driving the SUV.

Rafferty was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital after the crash, then medevaced to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he died a few hours later.

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