Health community mourns Smithfield woman killed in hit-and-run

SMITHFIELD, RI (WLNE) — The healthcare community is mourning the loss of 25-year-old nurse Aliana Ciacciarelli, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Smithfield Monday evening.

A memorial on Pleasant View Avenue, where the accident occurred, is now growing larger by the day.

“Absolutely unbelievable. Her future was so bright,” said Heather White, a former colleague of Ciacciarelli’s. “She just got a condo, she just got a cat, she’s been with her boyfriend for years and I know she talked about him proposing to her soon.”

White worked with Ciacciarelli at Kent Hospital.

Ciacciarelli was an emergency room nurse in Kent before recently taking another job.

“She was an amazing nurse when I first came here,” White said. “She fearlessly cared for her patients, always put them first and was always there to help when you needed it. Her smile was contagious and her laugh was out of this world.”

White said Ciacciarelli took her and all the other new nurses under her wing and was always there when they needed her.

“As a nurse, coming to a new place, to an environment where so much is demanded of you, and having someone there for whatever you need, like Aliana was, is very special,” White said.

Police said they had identified the driver of the semi-trailer, but no arrests were announced.

Smithfield Police are actively investigating.