A 19-year-old attending the University of Florida was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after officers say she was hit while near a crosswalk on campus.
Gainesville Police Department officers have launched a traffic homicide investigation into the crash that occurred near Buckman Drive and University Avenue around 10:30 a.m. on Monday.
Officers say the student entered the roadway near a marked crosswalk when a box truck headed southbound on Buckman Drive crashed into her.
The box truck is owned by a group called Krishna Lunch. Members of the organization confirm to TV20 that their truck was involved. They are a group that hands out food on campus.
They sent us this statement:
“We are heartbroken by the accident involving a student and our delivery truck this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student and her family for a swift recovery.
Early reports indicate the student was crossing outside a designated path and was not seen by our driver, who is devastated by the incident.
Our entire community is shaken as we eagerly await updates on her condition. We are cooperating fully with UFPD and GPD in their investigation.”Krishna Lunch
The woman was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and remains hospitalized as of this report.
Some residents who frequently cross this intersection, even though the city and state department of transportation spent a lot of money to conduct a traffic study and implement new safety measures, such as speed bumps and lowering the speed limit, it’s not enough to stop the accidents.
“It is dangerous,” shared resident Lyn Straka.
Straka said hearing about the student being hit close to home, but it’s not surprising.
Straka and her friend, Dolores Jenkins, lost one of their colleagues 25 years ago after she was hit while crossing the road at this same intersection.
“She had flags, the color of the cart, etc, and she still was hit. Somebody wasn’t paying attention; they were too high, she was too low,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins also added, “Both the pedestrians aren’t being careful with phones, and the drivers aren’t being careful texting or whatever in the car when they shouldn’t be, so multitasking isn’t always something that is desirable.”
Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman posted on facebook calling this accident absolutely awful.
“We need more active participation from authorities so that people on the street will see that there is a consequence if they behave in ways that are a danger to others,” shared Straka.
TV20 reached out to UF officials for a statement, but they did not provide one because the student has not yet been publicly identified.
And Monday’s crash isn’t the first time a student has been hit near the intersection.
In January 2021, Sophia Lambert, 19, died after a car went off the road, hitting her and 4 others on the sidewalk.
Just a month before, Maggie Paxton, 18, was killed while crossing West University Avenue and Gale Lemmerd Drive.
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Source: wcjb
