Student Hit By Car Raises Concern for Pedestrian Safety

Caroline Connolly, sophomore, was hit by a car on Student Union Drive while on a crosswalk. Student safety on campus is a big concern and the university needs to find ways to help students feel safer on campus.    

        

Connolly's accident occurred on the crosswalk between the Student Union parking lot and residence hall parking lots.

Caroline Connolly, sophomore, was hit by a car while crossing the street on a crosswalk on April 7. The incident happened on the crosswalk on Student Union Drive between the Union parking lot and the parking lot between Deaton and Hefley Halls. Connolly was walking back from the Turner Center around 7:30 p.m. and was hit by a truck while crossing the street on the way back to her dorm.

Connolly saw the truck coming while she was on the crosswalk, but the truck was coming too fast for her to move out of the way. The driver of the truck eventually saw Connolly and quickly stepped on the breaks, but not fast enough to stop without hitting her.

“I saw the car coming, but he was coming so quickly, looking for parking spot, that I didn’t have a chance to move,” Connolly said.  

The driver took Connolly to the hospital where she was immediately checked for injuries.

Fortunately, Connolly didn’t have any severe injuries, but experienced several scrapes and suffered a large bump on her head. She is currently recuperating from the incident and is expected to make a full recovery.

Incidents like Connolly’s are not uncommon around campus. Many cars around campus are pulled over and ticketed for running stop signs or speeding.

“Getting hit by a car is my biggest fear and student drivers are careless and don’t pay attention to the speed limit, so walking on campus is always dangerous,” said Molly Brosier, sophomore.

Traffic safety for students is very important and even students who obey the law by crossing on crosswalks can get injured. The university should come up with different ways to ensure student's safety while on campus.

More stop signs and streetlights by crosswalks could help student’s safety. Connolly’s incident occurred on a road with a crosswalk where there isn’t a stop sign and dim lighting. The implementation of a simple sign or brighter light could have prevented the incident and could prevent future incidents from occurring.

“There should be a stop sign or flashing lights on the crosswalk to help drivers watch out for pedestrians crossing the street,” Connolly recommended.

In addition to physical structures, the university could help pedestrian safety by educating both drivers and pedestrians. Drivers need to be more aware of their surroundings, not texting or talking on the phone while driving. Drivers should also use turn signals when appropriate and check mirrors when changing lanes or backing out of parking spots.

“The university could help students feel safer by enforcing the speed limit and teaching students that pedestrians have the right of way while walking around,” Brosier said.

Drivers are not the only ones to blame for accidents. Pedestrians also need to be aware of their surroundings. Looking both ways before crossing the street and being aware of surroundings is very important for pedestrians while out on the streets.