Authorities Tuesday released the name of a La Mesa woman who was struck and killed by a car while jogging near her home on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.
Kelly Cameron, 54, was crossing the 4700 block of Harbinson Avenue when an eastbound 2016 Subaru WRX hit her shortly before 3:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Paramedics pronounced Cameron dead at the scene.
Though it was not immediately clear who was at fault for the accident, intoxication was not thought to have been a factor in the fatality, said La Mesa police Lt. Greg Runge.
A GoFundMe account was established to raise money for her family.
Called the Kelly Cameron Memorial Fund, it had raised $4,726 as of Tuesday afternoon.
“Kelly was a front line healthcare worker (experienced and talented MRI technologist) and an athlete,” said the GoFundMe description. “She lived her life to the fullest and will be profoundly missed by [husband] Tom [Hovde], their families and everyone whose life she touched.”
Cameron, who went by “Lemon Drop,” was profiled in 2010 as a member of the San Diego Derby Dolls roller derby team, now called Derby United.
Nili Isabelle Ringer Goldfarb, owner of Derby United, told Times of San Diego: “I met Lemon back in the beginning, when she was walking into her derby practices in 2006. I have traveled all over the country with her to play and coach derby. A huge loss for all of us.”
On Monday, the team posted a tribute:
We are saddened to hear the news that Kelly Cameron aka Lemon Drop was tragically taken from us. She was an impressive force in not just the Derby Doll world as a San Diego Derby Doll, but in the larger Southern California roller derby community. Throughout her decade-long roller derby career, she touched many lives as a teammate, captain, competitor, mentor, coach and friend.
The Derby Dolls were fortunate to have Lemon Drop play as a member of the Swarm, and long time fans will remember her in all her yellow and black glory on the walls of the Doll Factory. We send love to her friends, family, fur babies and husband during this difficult time. ????
Updated at 10:26 a.m. Jan. 6, 2021
— City News Service contributed to this report
