North

Skagway mayor killed by bus in Washington D.C.

Mayor Monica Carlson, 61, and her 85-year-old mother died after being hit in a crosswalk in the U.S. capital.

Monica Carlson and her mother were killed Wednesday after being hit in a crosswalk

Skagway Mayor Monica Carlson, seen here in October, was hit by a bus in the U.S. capital on Wednesday. Her mother was also killed. (Claudiane Samson/Radio-Canada)

Residents of Skagway, Alaska, are grieving the death of their mayor, who was fatally struck by a bus with her elderly mother during a visit to Washington, D.C.

Metropolitan police say 61-year-old Skagway Mayor Monica Carlson and her 85-year-old mother, Cora Adams of Elbe, Wash., died at a hospital after the Wednesday night crash near the National Mall.

Police say the bus struck the women in a crosswalk as the vehicle made a left hand turn. Police spokeswoman Brianna Jordan says the crash is still under investigation.

Blaine Mero, office administrator for the Skagway Chamber of Commerce, says locals in the town of about 1,000 are in shock and grief over the news.

He says Carlson was elected to a two-year term as a write-in candidate in 2017.

Downtown Skagway. Monica Carlson was elected in 2017 to a two-year term as mayor. (Jane Sponagle/CBC)