An off-duty nurse who stopped to help a man injured in a crash was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Mum-of-one Jennifer Toscano tended to a driver who was trapped inside a car that had rolled over on a highway in Rhode Island, US
The crash happened at around 1.45am on Saturday when Jennifer, 34, was heading home from a Halloween party and saw a vehicle that had flipped over.
But after helping the trapped man, she was hit by a different car on the road, but the driver didn't stop.
The nurse, from Stoughton, Massachusetts, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
After it emerged she was struck by a red-coloured vehicle, officers launched a search to find it.
State troopers later located it and arrested Luis Baez, 22, from Boston.
He was charged for a number of offences - driving under the influence of liquor and or drugs, resulting in death, driving so as to endanger, resulting in death, leaving the scene of an accident, resulting in death, and operating on a suspended license, resulting in death, police said.
Baez was scheduled to be arraigned in Providence District Court on Monday.
Police say his license was suspended at the time of the deadly crash.
Paying tribute to Toscano, her friend Ashley Zeolla told NBC 10 News: “She was my best friend. She was always there for everyone. If you needed her, she was there for you.”
Speaking about helping the man before she died, Ashley added: “That’s just who she was.
“Definitely, I would say her nurse instincts kicked in that night – last night – and she had to go and save someone.”
“She died doing what she loved doing,” she added.
It was reported that Toscano's 14-year-old son had also lost his dad during the summer.
Col. James Manni, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, said Toscano's death should be a reminder for the need to slow down on roads.
He said: "Last night’s (Saturday) tragic death of a Good Samaritan — truly the first responder at the scene of a crash — is a horrifying reminder that we have a shared responsibility to make our roads safe.
“We need motorists to slow down, buckle up, and not drive impaired.
“If you see someone driving dangerously, we encourage you to call 911 and help us to make our roadways safer.”
