A vehicle struck a student Thursday night near Hull Hall, leaving some students worried about campus safety.
The student, sophomore anthropology major Christina Weinzettle, sustained no major injuries and was released from the hospital later that night.
The accident occurred about 10 p.m. at the crosswalk connecting the Butler Hall parking lot and Hull Hall.
Weinzettle was returning from her formal Sigma Alpha Iota chapter meeting when she approached the crosswalk, waiting for oncoming traffic to pass.
“I looked to make sure the way was clear and saw a car in the distance, a distance I felt was safe enough for me to cross. I felt the car should be able to have seen me or not have reached the crosswalk,” Weinzettle said. “I crossed the street on the crosswalk and was almost across it when I looked up and saw a car heading straight toward me,” she said.
After the accident, an ambulance drove Weinzettle to Oktibbeha County Hospital, where doctors discovered internal bruising on the student’s legs, a slight head injury and several bruised ribs.
Dean of students Mike White said MSU is taking adequate safety measures to ensure the health and well-being of its students.
“We are trying to cut down on the amount of traffic on campus,” White said. “We have eliminated a lot of traffic by constructing gated parking lots. Any chance we can, we remove street parking, and we are constantly monitoring lighting on campus.”
Some students feel that campus safety could be improved in spite of the changes already in the works.
“Overall, pedestrian safety is good when you’re within the main part of campus. However, there could be more crosswalks here and there,” senior broadcasting major Melissa Sparks said. “Even though students and faculty know that pedestrians have the right of way, it might be a good idea to place signs around campus to remind cars of that fact.”
Others feel that pedestrians should exercise a certain degree of personal responsibility when using crosswalks. “Just because pedestrians have the right of way, they don’t have the right to be stupid,” secondary education graduate student Melanie Harris said. “Look before you step out into traffic.”
In spite of her accident, Weinzettle said she remains optimistic about campus safety. While she said she feels some improvements can be made, she also stresses awareness as a top priority.
“I think that the addition of speed bumps on roads that contain multiple crosswalks would reduce student speeding,” she said. “I felt safe walking on the campus before the accident and I still feel safe, but I now have an awareness that I used to not have.”
White explained the importance of student awareness as well. He says the university tries to educate students on the value of coming to a crosswalk and making eye contact with the driver. This technique would not work for night-time driving, however.
The important thing, all agreed, is that the student was not severely injured or killed.
“I consider myself very lucky not to have be more seriously hurt,” Weinzettle said.