(Photo courtesy of Aaron Curtis/Lowell Sun) “Pedestrian hit outside O’Leary”
Isabelle Boivin
Connector Editor
On Thursday, February 5th, around 6:30 P.M., a Lowell police cruiser hit a pedestrian crossing Wilder Street in front of O’Leary Library.
The pedestrian, who has not been identified by Lowell Police or , rolled over the windshield and onto the side of the road.
Students who were waiting outside for a shuttle outside the South Campus bus station reported seeing the officer of the police cruiser, who witnesses say was on his computer at the time of the incident, delivering CPR to the injured pedestrian before other officers arrived on the scene. While the police cruiser was marked “patrol supervisor,” Lowell Police have not said whether the driver was in fact a supervisor.
The victim was described as “a man with a white beard, a hat, and jeans. He was more on the plus side [weight-wise], carrying a military-style backpack.” It is unclear whether or not he had any relation to the school.
The victim was transported to Lowell General Hospital, where he was later airlifted to Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington. He has been described as in “serious condition. ”
As a result of the incident, the South Campus bus station, which was being serviced by the Red Line Night & Weekend service at the time, was closed until around 11:15 PM, and Transportation Services redirected students who needed to get to University Crossing or East Campus to the Broadway/Riverview bus station.
Additionally, an email was sent through the University’s Emergency Alert system, urging students and faculty to stay clear from Wilder & Broadway Streets.
Interim Provost Noureddine Melikechi sent out an email to the campus community on Friday, saying “Observing or learning about a tragedy such as this can lead to stress and emotional distress. Please know the university has counseling and support resources available for students, faculty and staff who may need it during this time, and we encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out.”
Students say that the incident is uncommon, given that the area in which it occurred is usually not busy at night.
Student Megan Kimtis said, “The police usually patrol so they’re usually aware of the surroundings, so it’s kind of surprising that they would have hit someone right there because there are signs that say there’s a crosswalk there. We got an alarming text while we were in school saying to stay away from Wilder Street and Broadway Street due to road closure which never really closes. So, when it’s really shut down it’s when it’s a concern.”
Student Angus Bell said, “I think that’s crazy, honestly, if it was a police cruiser. I hope they get the cop that did that. Because that’s just like a violation of trust and stuff. You know what I mean? Especially if you’re like an actual official who’s supposed to be trained to drive and not speed in certain area.”
Student Cole Richards said, “He was basically walking across the street to the parking lot over there, and that cruiser — the patrol supervisor one — just plowed right into the guy. It was a pretty loud thud when the guy hit the cruiser.”
