Two SDSU students have been involved in vehicle-pedestrian accidents while walking on campus this semester, with one resulting in a blood infection and bone fracture.
Logan Ghigloitti, a freshman engineering major from Pennsylvania, was struck by a car on campus on his way to class in October. Ghigloitti was crossing between Bailey Rotunda and Avera Health and Science Center on Campanile Avenue when he was hit.
I was on the crosswalk, just about to make it to the side of Rotunda and I see this Jeep that isn’t stopping,” Ghigloitti said. “He just hits me and I go flying about two feet.”
Ghigloitti went to the Student Health Clinic but was later given a ride to the emergency room at Brookings Health by University Police Department officers, he said. He sustained a fractured bone, road rash and a blood infection from his injuries.
Lindsey Tull, an engineering major from Brandon was also struck by a car on campus this semester. Tull was walking across Medary Avenue around 10:30 p.m. when she was hit by a student. Tull sustained a concussion from the accident.
“[The car] hit my upper hip… I am amazed nothing broke,” Tull said. “It was fairly hard.”
These are the only two reports of students getting struck by cars on campus this semester, according to Michael Kilber, deputy chief of UPD. There have been traffic stops for people failing to yield to pedestrians and one report of a near miss.
“We average about probably one to three pedestrian vehicle accidents a year,” Kilber said. “It’s not always students, sometimes it’s faculty or guests.”
Kilber said the drivers involved in these accidents were not cited but warned that pedestrians have the right of way.
“A vehicle pedestrian accident is like a car accident,” Kilber said. “You know, we are obviously there to render aid and then provide assistance to those in need. Then an officer conducts an accident investigation on the scene and then files his or her report with the state.”
The majority of these incidents are due to students rushing to class or because they are distracted by their phones, Kilber said. But some student leaders think these accidents or near misses are happening because of poor lighting. The City of Brookings is paying close attention to the issues students and community member have raised when it comes to crosswalk incidents, said Michael Garofalo, government affairs chair for Students’ Association.
“One of the more common things I have heard personally is during dusk and the nighttime after, there are spots where poor or disorienting lighting can hinder drivers,” Garofalo said. “Revaluating this lighting is a priority for them in this situation, and the school is constantly working on this issue as well.”
This issue was also brought up at an SA meeting Nov. 5 by the chair of the Safety and Security Committee, Grant Sternhagen.
“Pedestrian strikes have been a real problem,” Sternhagen said during the meeting. “Most of them are on Medary and on the road between the dorms and big east [parking lot].”
The Collegian could not confirm any incidents on Jackrabbit Avenue.
Sternhagen said improved lighting and signage will be part of the solution to prevent further accidents.
