One dead after engaged couple struck by drunk driver while on evening walk in Cape Cod: police

The couple had spent many years together and shared a home, and decided they would finally tie the knot just a few years ago.

A drunk driver struck and killed a veteran firefighter and seriously injured a woman who had accompanied him on a Saturday evening walk in Cape Cod this weekend.

Kevin Regan and Lynda Cavanaugh, both 62 years old, were vacationing on Cape Cod for the weekend and had gone on a walk along a road in Yarmouth on an evening that was described as “particularly foggy” by police when a car struck them, killing Regan and seriously injuring Cavanaugh, according to the Boston Globe.

Police arrested the alleged driver of the vehicle, 55-year-old Paul Dennehy of Yarmouth, on charges of motor vehicle homicide and drunken driving after he struck them with his 2009 Ford Econovan E150.

Yarmouth Officer Sean Geary found Regan lying on his back in the middle of the road with a faint pulse and attempted to revive him with CPR before an ambulance took him to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead. Cavanaugh was face down on the edge of the road with serious injuries to her head and other parts of her body. She was able to communicate with emergency workers and was flown to a Boston-area hospital, where she underwent surgery the next day.

The couple had spent many years together and shared a home, and decided they would finally tie the knot just a few years ago. They were high school sweethearts and had been together since their 20s. Regan was a firefighter, as was his father, and Cavanaugh’s father was also a firefighter.

Regan’s brother Chris said they were “both happy in their situation” and had finally decided to get engaged after spending decades together.

Regan was a 43-year veteran of the Westfield Fire Department, their most senior firefighter. He had been serving there since the age of 19.

The driver remained at the scene, where police performed field sobriety tests before arresting him. Dennehy said the couple “ran in front of his van” out of nowhere, according to the report. Police noted that poor visibility from fog and the darkness may have been contributing factors.

Dennehy will be arraigned at Barnstable District Court on Monday.