A Millikin student was involved in an accident while crossing the street, an incident that left the street blocked off by police cars since around 6 p.m. this evening.
Several eyewitnesses described the incident as a loud one.
“I walked out of Blackburn, and I was heading to the UC,” junior Braylen Kean said. “We were walking, and I heard what sounded like two cars hitting each other. I was over here, and I was fully thinking that two cars had hit each other.”
This is exactly what sophomore Will Turvey heard. He was on his way to lift weights when the accident occurred.
“We were walking from the track to the Decatur Indoor Sports Center (DISC), and we were going to lift,” he said. “We heard a huge noise, which we thought was a car accident. We looked back and we saw a guy on the ground. I think he flew about 15 feet in the air.”
The student was in the middle of the crosswalk when they were struck, which Turvey confirmed. The truck that caused the incident remained on the road, with a large dent in the front that caused the hood to be bent upwards, caused by the accident.
Freshman Josh Holloway was with Turvey when the accident happened.
“We saw him tumble and it looked like he hit a car on the other side,” Holloway said. “Once he hit the ground he rolled, and he brushed up into a different car that was in oncoming traffic, but that car was stopped.”
The biggest question of course is the safety of the student involved in the accident.
“He just laid there for a second,” Turvey said. “He tried to get up, and you could see blood all over his face. He let out a noise that seemed very painful. The cars surrounding him got out and looked at him and called the police. You could see a lot of blood coming from his head and his leg.”
Fortunately, the bystanders were extremely adamant to attempt to help the situation.
“Luckily, there was a nurse that was in one of the cars that was there,” Kean said. “The student was able to have some people who knew what to do, so they put pressure on the wound. I was close enough to hear the paramedics ask him questions, and it seemed like he was fully coherent. He seemed to know his name and where he was, so that was definitely a good sign.”
Kean overheard several faculty members and public safety officials confirm that it was indeed a student. The Dec did confirm that it was a student.
“It was definitely a crazy situation,” he said. “The biggest thing that I remember was that the accident sounded like two cars hitting each other. Luckily, there were people in that spot who could help, and luckily the paramedics were able to get there in time. It seemed like he got the help that he needed and was able to make it to the hospital.”
The Dec will be updating this story in the morning.