81-year-old pedestrian dies after being struck while in crosswalk

An 81-year-old woman whose family said she loved to walk died Friday after being struck by a car while she was walking in the crosswalk on Queenston Road in Hamilton's east end, police say. 

Mara Balach was thought to be in her 60s when the collision was first reported, at around 10 a.m. She was taken to hospital Friday morning with life-threatening injuries.

Police say the 32-year-old driver of the car and witnesses to the collision stopped to help the woman while they waited for ambulances to arrive.

Traffic was restricted in the area for several hours. 

Detectives say neither speed nor alcohol were factors in the collision. Details they've been able to piece together suggest that Balach was in the crosswalk, crossing Queenston Road when the vehicle made a left turn from Reid Avenue onto eastbound Queenston and struck her.

Balach was well-known and well-liked in east Hamilton, police say. 

This is the city's 17th fatal traffic collision in Hamilton this year.

The investigation is ongoing with charges pending, police said Friday.