'It's not easy losing a parent, especially when you are that young'
Charlene O'Connel (top left, in an older family photo) died Friday when a car crashed through the wall of a hair salon. By KVAL.com staffALBANY, Ore. -- Getting a haircut at the Perfect Look Salon last Friday, Charlene O'Connel was having her hair shampooed when a car came crashing through the front of the building, pinning her between the sink and the car, according to police. O'Connel died a short time later at the hospital from internal injuries. How someone could have been hit and killed by a car while sitting at the shampoo sink at a hair salon is difficult to comprehend. "Just getting your hair done one minute, next minute you got a car just coming in," said Scott Masse, an Albany resident. "I can't imagine what was going through everybody's mind." Police say the driver, 79-year-old Margaret Zip, hit the gas instead of the brake. Police would not say whether charges were pending or not. The case remains open. O'Connel, 55, was a wife and mother of two girls, one in college, the other now 14. Her cousin Sandy Wilson said O'Connel was devoted to her family. "A fantastic mom," Wilson said. "She's a mom, yeah, good mom." Wilson remembers favorite memories of her cousin and worries about O'Connel's husband and kids. "I pray they get through this," she said. "It's not easy losing a parent especially when you are that young." |
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