Ben said he didn’t know he’d hit someone with his car until the man crashed into his windshield.
A 72-year-old man was walking across South Campus Drive from Rice-Eccles Stadium without using the crosswalk when Ben, a sophomore whose last name was not released, struck him while driving at about 20 mph. The impact threw the man, whose name also was not released, onto the car, where his head hit the windshield before he rolled off onto the street, according to the U Police Department.
Witnesses said they thought the man was dead until he started wiggling and trying to get up. Paramedics arrived a few minutes later.
He regained consciousness after he was helped to his feet. He didn’t seem to have any recollection of how he ended up in the street. Sgt. Bob Garner of the campus police department said the man’s first words were, “What, did I get hit by a car or something?” Paramedics loaded him onto a stretcher and took him to the University Hospital for a broken right leg and possible head injuries.
Ben was driving west on South Campus Drive from a basketball game with some friends when the accident occurred, and said the victim, who was dressed in light clothing, came out of nowhere.
As a tow truck took away his green Mazda, Ben put on his backpack and started walking up the street.
“I’m not exactly worried about the car right now,” he said as he began a long hike toward the hospital.
Erik DaenitzParamedics load a 72-year-old man into an ambulance after he was hit by a student?s car Wednesday night on South Campus Drive. Police temporarily closed the road to traffic from 7