U. truck hits student at 34th and Walnut

The third University student in as many weeks was hit by a vehicle at approximately 1:30 p.m. yesterday. A student riding a bike was on the sidewalk in front of Bennett Hall at the intersection of 34th and Walnut streets, when a University truck travelled onto the sidewalk and struck the student, several witnesses said. The student was transported to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to University Police Sergeant Mike Fink. The student was listed in good condition as of 3:30 p.m. yesterday, a Medical Center spokesperson said. Engineering sophomore Jim Nicholson -- who was on the corner of 34th Street near the Locust Walk entrance when he saw the accident occur -- said the student did not appear to be seriously injured. "I think he seemed more in shock than anything else," he said. "There were no visible injuries on him." Nicholson said he thought the vehicle involved was a "Physical Plant pick-up truck." Representatives from both the Physical Plant and the School of Arts and Sciences said it was a SAS truck that struck the student. "A car had cut him off -- he swerved and went up on the sidewalk," said Nicholson, who said he overheard the truck driver describing the incident at the scene of the accident. "I ran over to see if the kid was okay. There were a number of people helping him." A pedestrian called University Police using the emergency phone located at the intersection, Nicholson said. The police arrived "almost immediately." Director of Intervention Services Barbara Cassel said yesterday that she does not feel the recent influx in traffic accidents involving students is representative of the University's overall record. "When you consider the high traffic and the number of people on campus, I think our statistics are probably pretty good in terms of the number of accidents," she said. Fire and Occupational Safety Director James Miller said he also feels there have been very few accidents involving students on campus. He said he can only remember one other accident involving a student in the past 15 years -- besides the three this month. Miller said he feels the recent accidents have either resulted from negligence or were "freak accidents." Because the streets are under Philadelphia jurisdiction, the University is therefore unable to make decisions regarding their management, he added. "I can have all my own ideas but you have to deal with all of the professionals in this," he said. "The best thing we can do is talk to the traffic control people." College freshman Jae Lee and College senior Thomas Heller are currently recovering from injuries sustained in separate accidents involving vehicles earlier this month.

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