Nov 14, 2007 10:09 pm US/Eastern
Crash Victim's Family Remembers Vibrant Woman
by Paul Burton
SOUTH BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Annmarie's siblings, from left to right, James McNally, Caroline Gallacher and Michael McNally.
CBS
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The cruiser, operating with active lights and siren, struck McNally's Saab while responding to an unrelated call.
CBS
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The crash occurred in the area of West Broadway and D Street in South Boston at about 1 p.m. Saturday.
CBS
For the first time since a violent collision in South Boston, involving a Boston police officer, claimed the life of a 36-year-old woman, her family is talking publicly.
Annemarie McNally was driving alone last Saturday on Broadway Avenue when a police cruiser driven by Officer Jesse Stots, who was responding to a call, crashed into her, sending her car airborne. She died instantly.
McNally's family spoke with WBZ's Paul Burton not about her death, but about a wonderful life.
"I'll miss everything about her. I mean we were very close," said McNally's brother, James McNally.
Holding each others hands, the three siblings of Annemarie McNally said they don't want to talk about how she died but only about the life she lived.
"The thing I'll miss most about Anne was her independence," James McNally said. "She was a very independent person."
McNally's younger sister, Caroline Gallacher, said the two just had dinner the night before the collision.
"And I just said, 'I love you and I'll call you tomorrow,'" Gallacher said. "she looked so beautiful. She always looked really beautiful."
"I feel the pain for my sister Caroline because they were best friends and my parents," James McNally said.
The siblings say Annemarie was the glue that kept the family close together. A Boston University grad who worked in financial services, she loved to cook, exercise and kept everyone on the go with a smile.
"She was the type of person to be up at 7:30 am on Saturday, go roller blading up to Castle Island, come back, go food shopping," James McNally said. "She would call me up and say, 'James, what are you doing for lunch?'"
She had a nickname for everyone.
"Lamb Chop or Muffin Head. She loved feeling people's ears, saying, 'Do you have fuzzy ears?' to everyone," Gallacher said. "Sometimes it would be a little weird."
McNally's family didn't want to discuss the accident that took her life. But they do want people to know how special she was and the hurt this tragedy has caused.
"I am really focusing on Anne at this point," said McNally's brother, Michael McNally. "She was a great person, and I don't want to take anything away from the life she lived."
"All I can think about is her big smile," said James McNally said.
It's her smile that keeps her three siblings smiling themselves.
As the crash investigation continues, WBZ checked the driving records for both McNally and Officer Stots. McNally had only one minor violation. Stots had a number of citations dating back to before he joined the police force, including two accidents for which he was found to be at fault.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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