By Kevin Harvell
Be advised that around 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7 there was a Hofstra student struck by a car on Oak Street. The student was taken to Nassau University Medical Center. Being an EMT with the Uniondale Fire Department, I see this all too often.
Just last week, The Chronicle printed a piece on how deadly Hempstead Turnpike is with 15 fatalities in just two years, four of which I have dealt with. As The Chronicle said we had a fellow student, Gregory Welch, who got hit just last April and was put in the Intensive Care Unit for a significant amount of time.
As someone who always takes a bridge, I have on several occasions seen fellow students almost get hit. They are taking an unnecessary risk, and those who get stuck at the center median are in the most dangerous part of the road. I am pleased that the the University decided to spend the money to build the third pedestrian bridge but I am upset at how they are taking steps to urge the students to taking it. First off, they leave the gate in the fence by the northern portion of the bridge open. This allows all who walk from The Netherlands toward the Hempstead Turnpike an easy path across. I believe that the University should close and lock that gate forcing students to take the bridge. By doing so it would also secure The Netherlands complex more by not leaving an unsecured entrance that a random person could take into the complex area to get inside.
I also believe that as part of the new student orientation that all students be told about the dangers of crossing the turnpike and even be shown the statistics and pictures of at least serious motor vehicle accidents.
I plead all University students to please take a pedestrian bridge. It is just that one driver that is drunk, tired, not paying attention or having a medical emergency that could kill you. It does not matter what time of the day it is either; just use the bridge. I use it all the time and I even beat people waiting for traffic on the other side. Even if you are running a little late to class use them; if you are 30 seconds, late the professor is not going to notice but when you get hit because you are just too lazy to use the bridge, you better believe the professor will care. I was very glad that you ran the dangerous roads piece in the previous edition keep up the good work and I urge The Chronicle to at least get a story on the student who was hit. Thanks for the update on the student, I saw the dangerous roads story in Newsday and was really glad to see it in The Chronicle.
Kevin Harvell is a senior drama production student. You may e-mail him at [email protected].