Sophomore in chemical engineering Alex Lloyd remains in the hospital with serious injuries after a vehicle struck him and dragged him down the road Oct. 20.
Lloyd sustained injuries across his body, including broken vertebrae and ribs. Raleigh Police Department Public Affairs Director Jim Sughrue said charges will not be filed against the driver.
While crossing Western Boulevard at the intersection of Dan Allen Drive, Lloyd was hit by a GMC truck driven by Thelton Best, j unior in agriculture management. He crossed when the “Do Not Walk” sign was displayed, and therefore police did not charge Best, according to the wreck report.
Best did not stop for five after impact, the report said.
“[Best] hit me and knocked me on the pavement, then ran over me. I tumbled underneath [the truck]. He didn’t put on the brakes when he hit me; he kept going. Then he stopped,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd said he had five broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, a broken collar bone, four broken vertebrae, a punctured lung, a pelvis broken in two places, two sprained ankles and a severe case of road rash.
Lloyd dropped all of his classes this semester, but said he plans to return next semester when he can walk. Doctors told him to stay out of school until he completes rehabilitation and regains the use of his legs, which doctors told him should happen by winter break.
“I have been in the hospital for a week. I get out in two days, and then I have to go rehab for a week or so, and then I can go home,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd’s twentieth birthday was Oct. 21 — the day after the accident.
“My birthday was Friday, so I spent my birthday in the hospital,” Lloyd said.
Best did not flee the scene, according to Sughrue .
“It was not a hit and run,” Sughrue said. “I do not anticipate charges will be filed against the driver based on the information received.”
Best was contacted by email for comment, but did not respond.
Pedestrians do not have enough time to cross streets, according to Lloyd.
“You don’t even have time to walk across the street before the time on the crosswalk starts counting down,” Lloyd said.
In order to prevent similar accidents in the future, Lloyd suggested building elevated walkways over busy intersections surrounding campus.
“We need to have overwalks on Western [Boulevard] and Hillsborough Street. It’s not too bad when walking around on campus, but on Western, we need to have sidewalks that go up and over so that people can cross the street safely,” Lloyd said.
Freshman in engineering Chris Ahern said he feels safe when crossing the street on and around campus.
“Just make eye contact with the driver when you are crossing the street,” Ahern said.
Building walkways over roads would be a waste of money, according to Ahern.
“I wouldn’t mind if we had that sort of sidewalk system, but it might not be worth it. I don’t think a student fee or increase in tuition to pay for a system like that would be a good idea,” Ahern said.
