NEWBURYPORT — The victim of Wednesday night’s fatal pedestrian accident on Green Street was identified Thursday afternoon as the Rev. Helen Murgida, a community service minister affiliated with the First Religious Society’s Unitarian Universalist Church on Pleasant Street.
Murgida, 81, was on her way to attend Mayor Sean Reardon’s State of the City address at nearby City Hall when she was struck and killed by a motorist driving a pickup truck.
“This is a tragic day for the Newburyport community. Our hearts are prayers are with her family, friends, and the First Religious Society,” Reardon said in a statement.
Murgida was struck by the Ford-150 pickup around 6:40 p.m. near the Green and Pleasant streets intersection and was trapped underneath it for several minutes. After first responders jacked up the truck and removed her from beneath, she was rushed to Anna Jaques Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
“A very sad day here at City Hall and people are pretty shook up,” Reardon said Thursday, via text, adding that grief counselors were made available to staff.
Murgida was an ordained interfaith minister from the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine, and was a member of the Pastoral Care Associates and Parish Friends, according to the church’s website.
Born and raised in Somerville, Murgida attended Matignon Cambridge High School and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern University and Salem State University, and a doctorate from Nova Southeastern University.
She was the wife of the late Frank Murgida, a longtime choir member who brought her to the Newburyport church. She has two sons, Matthew Murgida of Somerville and Lucas Murgida of Santa Barbara, California.
A co-founder of the Pentucket Workshop Preschool in Georgetown, she taught at the Cotting School, and held administrative positions at the Somerville Charter School and Pathways Academy at McLean Hospital. She served as a hospice volunteer, was on the Executive Committee of the Interfaith Ministers of New England, and was a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, according to the church’s website.
“She just the biggest, most kindhearted human being,” church leader the Rev. Rebecca Bryan said.
Bryan said Murgida was to give the invocation before Reardon’s State of the City event, filling in for another religious leader who came down with an illness hours earlier. Bryan said Murgida’s willingness to fill in at the last moment was an example of her generosity and her perpetual desire to help others.
“She always said yes when it came to helping others in the community,” Bryan said.
Reardon went to to say Murgida touched many lives within the congregation and throughout Newburyport during her long and rewarding career.
“She carried her passion to support those facing challenges through her faith. She advocated tirelessly for the inclusion of people with disabilities, delivering sermons and organizing community programming to raise awareness. She made our city an even more welcoming and inclusive place,” Reardon said.
Bryan said a memorial service has yet to be scheduled but she and others were expected to attend a vigil for their lost friend at the church Thursday night.
“This a loss for all of us,” Bryan said.
The unidentified driver of the pickup truck remained at the crash scene. No charges or citations were issued, according to the district attorney’s office.
The accident is still being investigated by the Newburyport Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.
Asked whether the tragedy would spark the city into changing the intersection in any way, or adding more lighting there, Reardon said it would depend on what the investigation uncovers.
Before his speech, Reardon asked for a moment to say a prayer. He appeared to be visually shaken. The event was delayed around 15 minutes.
Green Street was closed as state police vehicles blocked access. The area was cordoned off with yellow caution tape and evidence markers could be seen on the ground as authorities investigated the crash.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan contributed to this report.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.