A 54-year-old woman is dead after a driver struck her while she was crossing State Road 40 early Monday morning, and her family says they want answers.

Ocala police say they received a call around 7 a.m. after a 64-year-old man driving eastbound on State Road 40 hit Lisa Julian as she crossed the road at an intersection. The crash closed roads in Marion County. Whether Julian was in a crosswalk at the time is still unclear, police said.

Family left grieving

Janet Lozito, Julian’s sister-in-law, found out about the crash when Julian’s son called her a few hours after it happened.

“He goes, grandma, he goes, I just want to let you know somebody hit her and smeared her all over the road,” Lozito said.

Lozito said Julian came into her life when she was just 7 years old and was like the daughter she never had. She described Julian as the baby of the family and a mother.

“It’s a terrible thing, what happened to her. I mean, it’s very hard,” Lozito said.

Lozito said it was unlike Julian to walk into the road without using a crosswalk. She said she hopes footage from the scene shows what really happened.

“I really hope that the film shows that he was wrong and that he goes away for a very, very, very long time,” Lozito said.

A message for drivers

Lozito also had a message for other drivers in the community.

“Make sure you put your cell phones down and pay attention to what you’re doing because before you know it, you could either get killed or kill someone or wipe out a family. And grief is just a terrible thing,” she said.

Investigation ongoing

Ocala police have not said whether the driver will face charges. Officials said whether Julian was in a crosswalk and the question of charges are both part of their ongoing investigation.