Student struck by car at 34th and Walnut Sts.

Freshman in critical condition College freshman Jae Lee was in surgery early this morning after being hit by a car at 34th and Walnut streets at about 11 a.m. yesterday, according to his roommate, College freshman Richard Kim. Lee underwent emergency surgery for swelling of his brain because of multiple hematomas, Kim said. Officials at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania said Lee was in critical condition as of 1:40 a.m. today. Details of the accident are still sketchy. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said the cause is unclear. "All that is apparent at the moment is that [Lee] was crossing in front of traffic and was struck," Kuprevich said. "The person who struck him did stop and provide information for a police report," he added. Lee, a resident of Hill House, had been in surgery earlier in the night for a hematoma that placed too much blood pressure on the frontal lobe of his brain. After a CAT scan, Kim said the doctors decided Lee should have a second surgery. According to Kuprevich, Lee was in stable condition yesterday afternoon, and was only undergoing additional testing to determine the extent of his injuries. His condition later deteriorated to critical. Last night, Lee's parents had driven to HUP from their home in North Wales, Pennsylvania, and were waiting with Lee's girlfriend for an update on his condition, Kim said. Tommy Leonardi, a 1989 University graduate, said he was one of the first people at the scene of the accident. He said he was in a card shop on Walnut Street when he heard "something that sounded like a car hitting something." He said he assumed the car, a 1986 Chevrolet, had hit another car until he looked outside the store. "I heard someone screaming, 'oh my God, oh my God,' and I saw a body lying right in the middle of the crosswalk of 34th and Walnut [streets]," he said. Leonardi said he "sprinted right over to the person who was lying motionless," and nudged him, so that he would not choke on the blood "pouring from his head." He added that a nurse and a doctor who happened to be nearby, ran over, and began to give Lee medical attention. Leonardi said the police released the man at the scene pending an investigation. The noise and commotion of the accident drew a large crowd to the scene. College and Wharton senior Vivek Tiwary was standing at a food truck at 34th and Walnut streets when "two shoes fell out of the sky." "There was another kid standing by the corner and these shoes came flying down, and this kid was like 'what the hell' and then he saw a crumpled body."

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