This past Wednesday morning (10/21), a student was hit by a car in the minutes before 9:00 AM on the rainbow crosswalk to Westside’s Campus Center.

Neither the student hit nor the person driving the car have been publicly identified. Witnesses said that the individual was able to walk after, though their current status is unknown. 

One witness said that the driver attempted to slow down but did not stop in time. Other witnesses waiting for a shuttle described items “flying” at the scene. Students, alongside the driver of the vehicle, ran to the aid of the struck individual.

Shuttles were delayed after the incident, with one arriving about ten minutes late following the ambulance’s departure from campus.

Reckless driving, especially speeding, is a common occurrence noted by students on Westside.

“I’m not surprised that someone got hit,” a student told The Echo. “I’m just surprised that it happened so early.”

Other students have shared their experiences of nearly getting hit while crossing the street on Westside. History major August Galluci shared how he has almost gotten hit on the crosswalk near Grasso Hall:

“I was walking in front of the shuttle, and, as I was about to step into the crosswalk, a car came around the shuttle from behind and raced past. Then, as I was approaching the other side—the second lane on the road—another car came from the other direction going down the hill and almost hit me,” said Galluci. “It felt like Crossy Road.”

This instance was not the first time that someone has been hit near WCSU. Danbury’s Newstimes reported that WCSU student Dong Lin was killed crossing White Street in a hit-and-run in 2011. The article describes how Lin’s death led to the relocation of crosswalks and the installment of the warning lights that remain on the street to this day. WCSU Administration has yet to publicly acknowledge Wednesday’s incident.

The Connecticut DOT Pedestrian Safety webpage states that, from 2017-2021, roughly 36% of speeding related fatalities occur on slower roads, not highways. When hit by a car going 40 miles-per-hour, they have an 85% chance of death, according to another staggering DOT statistic. The posted speed limit on University Boulevard is 25 miles per hour, yet this alone hasn’t stopped frequent speeding.

Another marker of the disruption of student safety on campus, a student reflecting on the situation stated that the increasing dangers happening around WCSU have been a trend. The student feels that the WCSU community is fending for itself:

“It can feel isolating seeing so many instances of students hurt or scared this semester. I […] have gotten so anxious that I forget to look up, and I think a lot of people are in a similar state. I think we all need the reminder that we’re in this together. We are the ones creating the environment across campus, so we need to prioritize looking out for each other,” they said.

The DOT’s Pedestrian Safety page advises drivers to reduce their speed near crosswalks and other pedestrian areas in order to prevent incidents like Wednesday’s. 

Students who want to share comments, concerns, or tips can reach The Echo at echo@wcsu.edu.