Woman dead after being struck by vehicle near Whitewater

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information released by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 1. 

By Kim McDarison 

A woman has died from her injuries after being struck by a vehicle in Jefferson County just north of the city of Whitewater, according to information released by the operators of the Jefferson County Scanner Facebook page and presented within a GoFundMe account opened Sunday.  

The GoFundMe account was created by Alejandra Godina, of Whitewater, to raise funds to return the body of Maricela Del Carmen Rivas Rivas to Nicaragua, according to information presented on the account.  

According to the GoFundMe account, Maricela Del Carmen Rivas Rivas, 30, was struck by a car, and was pronounced “brain dead” and died at the hospital. 

She leaves behind a husband, Jose Fajardo, and 5-year-old son, the account noted.  

Monies collected through the account will be used for funeral and transportation fees to return her to Nicaragua, the account stated. 

A goal of $15,000 has been set. As of Sunday night, some $1,120 had been raised. 

According to information released by operators of the Jefferson County Scanner Facebook page, a car versus pedestrian crash occurred near the Whitewater city limits in the N300 block of County Trunk N. 

Janesville medics were requested to the scene. 

Information released by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday notes that deputies responded to the scene Saturday at 9:50 p.m., which was located in the town of Cold Spring on County Highway N, south of County Highway U. 

According to information found on the scanner, the accident happened around 10 p.m. Saturday, with the scanner further reporting that the “patient was in and out of consciousness.” Posts made by the operator of the scanner page described the victim as having a “significant head injury.” 

Information released by the sheriff’s office stated that a primary investigation at the scene showed that a “group of pedestrians” were attempting to cross County Highway N when one of them was hit by a vehicle traveling northbound on the highway. 

Units from the Whitewater Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department were reportedly responding to the scene, the scanner operater noted.  

According to the scanner, County Trunk N was “shutdown” between County Truck N and U, just north of Peninsula Lane. 

Additionally, the sheriff’s department reports that the driver of the vehicle was not injured and remained at the scene until law enforcement arrived. 

The pedestrian who was hit, identified as Maricela Del Carmen Rivas Rivas, was transported to a local hospital with “critical injuries,” the release from the sheriff’s office stated. 

The victim, the sheriff’s office reported it learned on Monday, died from her injuries. 

The victim is reported to be from “the Whitewater area.”  

Responding by email Sunday night, Whitewater Police Chief Dan Meyer said that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department was the primary agency handling the scene. 

As stated within the release from the sheriff’s office, the agency was assisted at the scene by the Whitewater police, fire and EMS departments, and the Jefferson County Emergency Communications agency, which helped with traffic control. 

The incident remains under investigation, the release stated. 

A link to the GoFundMe page is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ny9vra-maricela-del-carmen-rivas-rivas?utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer. 

This story may continue to be updated. 

A collage of photographs, shown above, is presented on the GoFundMe page created to raise funds for a funeral and transportation costs associated with returning the body of 30-year-old Maricela Del Carmen Rivas Rivas to Nicaragua. 

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