Elderly woman seriously injured in Surf City Walmart parking lot incident

SURF CITY, NC (WWAY) — An 80-year-old woman suffered serious injuries Monday afternoon in a vehicle-versus-pedestrian incident at the Surf City Walmart parking lot, police said.

It happened around 2:35 p.m. at 420 Fun Center Drive, according to Surf City police. Officials said the woman had just finished loading groceries into her SUV and was reversing out of her parking space when a witness alerted her that her rear hatch was still open.

As she got out of her SUV, she didn’t shift the vehicle into park, causing it to continue moving backward. The open driver’s door struck her, knocking her to the ground, before the SUV’s front tire rolled over her legs, police said. The vehicle continued in reverse until it struck a raised median bordered by bushes. The open door also hit a parked vehicle, bringing the SUV to a stop.

Emergency responders transported the woman to Novant Regional Hospital, where she is receiving treatment for serious injuries. No one else was involved in the incident, authorities confirmed.

The investigation is over, and no traffic-related charges have been filed, police said.