The woman killed Oct. 7 by a vehicle as she was unloading her car on Girard Avenue has been identified as Melissa Bonney Ratcliff, vice president of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
San Diego police reported that Ratcliff had been unloading her car shortly before noon on Girard near Silverado Street when a 91-year-old driver backed out of a nearby parking spot on the other side of the street, crossed lanes and hit Ratcliff.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
In a report released Oct. 8, the medical examiner’s office said Ratcliff, 45, died of blunt force injury to her torso and listed her manner of death as an accident.
Ratcliff served as vice president of marketing and events for the chamber of commerce. She was hired by the chamber earlier this year, according to a March chamber news release.
She was described as a “nationally recognized leader in marketing and strategic communications” and previously worked as a press secretary for the Democratic National Committee. She also served in the White House in the 1990s as former Vice President Al Gore’s deputy director of communications, according to the chamber.
The chamber issued a statement saying members were “grief stricken over the tragic loss.”
“She was a well-respected and valued member of the chamber team and will be missed by all of us,” the statement said. “We’re deeply saddened by her loss and send our thoughts and prayers to her family and friends.”