Student hit on downtown crosswalk

On Friday Nov.  4, a Georgia College student was hit while crossing the street using a crosswalk in front of T&N Books.

“I didn’t see the car so I didn’t know I got hit by it. I just thought it was weird that I was on the ground all of the sudden,” senior mass communication major Andrew George said.

George was walking to  his car around 1:30 p.m. when he was struck by a Ford Edge. He suffered from bruised ribs and various cuts and scrapes from the accident.

George doesn’t feel as if the accident was completely the driver’s fault.

“I would say about 50/50,” George said of who to blame for the accident. “He said he wasn’t looking he just looked up and I was in his windshield.”

Public Safety and the Student Government Association are currently collaborating on a pedestrian safety project which will update several crosswalks on campus to increase the level of safety for students, faculty and members of the community.

One of the proposed changes is to install yellow flashing lights on the sidewalks, facing traffic. These lights are intended to promptly notify drivers of an upcoming crosswalk.

“I think it’s a great idea to make drivers more aware of pedestrians,” sophomore environmental science major Taylor Upole said.

There is also the possibility of making the sidewalks brick and enlisting the help of GC’s artistically talented students to paint the school’s logo on the sidewalks as well.

Although this aspect of the pedestrian safety project is more of a public relations move for the university, it is also intended to bring more awareness to the crosswalks, helping drivers to make conscious decisions.

“Last semester, I was walking from The Max to my dorm when a car, turning right, almost hit me. As soon as the driver noticed me, he slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop,” sophomore mass communication major Halley White said. “It was terrifying.”

SGA and Public Safety plan to install yield signs near the crosswalk between Adams Hall and Sanford Hall on Greene Street, a heavily crowded area.

In Fall Semester 2008, Jonathan Savitske, SGA senator and senior political science and economics major, was hit by a car while walking across the street.

“I was walking my bike across the street when the car hit me. I blacked out for about 10 seconds but was otherwise fine,” Savitske said. “An ambulance came and my bike was completely smashed but other than that I was okay.”

Savitske is now the president of the Pedestrian Safety Committee in SGA and is working with Public Safety and the Department of Transportation to put the necessary pedestrian safety changes into effect.

“The Department of Transportation had to become involved in this process because Hancock Street is a state route. Therefore, the city can not make any changes to the road. It is the DOT’s responsibility,” Savitske said.

Currently, Savitske and the rest of the Pedestrian Safety Committee are awaiting the response of the DOT on their proposal.

According to Savitske, SGA decided to take on this task because, “the issue is very important for the university and the surrounding community. We do not want anyone else to get hurt. We just want students to be able to get to class safely.”

This project is still in the brainstorming stage and does not have a projected finish date or a predetermined budget.

“Optimistically, we should be done with the updates by next year, but I will do whatever it takes to ensure these changes are made,” Savitske said.

Even though all of these positive changes are being made to make Milledgeville drivers more aware of pedestrian traffic, students should still do their part and look both ways before crossing. One simple glance might just save a student from a terrible accident.

“If it could happen to me, then it could happen to you,” Savitske said.