Square Death Investigated

A Philadelphia law firm is investigating the death of a 63-year-old woman killed in an automobile accident in front of the Kennedy School of Government last month.

Rachael Sarfatti was first struck by the mirror of a passing taxi cab and then run over by a second vehicle while trying to cross Kennedy St. on October 1 at 8:13 p.m. in poor visibility due to heavy rain and darkness, according to police reports.

Cambridge police questioned and released both drivers, but halted their investigation into the accident due to a lack of department funding, said Robert J. Mongeluzzi, the attorney handling the deceased woman's estate.

"We are trying to ascertain what happened and who's responsible," said Mongeluzzi, who is exploring possibilities for litigation. "We want members of the community to help us, to contact us with any information."

Sarfatti was the wife of Gad Safatti, a visiting professor of Hebrew at Bar Ilan University in Israel who is spending the year in Cambridge.