A Yale student was hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle on Prospect Street Wednesday morning, the second student to be injured in an automobile accident on Science Hill in the past two days.
The student was taken by ambulance to Yale-New Haven Hospital after being struck by a motorist while walking in front of Sage Hall — located between Sachem and Edwards streets — at approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Yale Police Department Lt. Michael Patten said. New Haven Police Department spokeswoman Bonnie Winchester declined to release the name of the student, but Patten said the student is male.
The student suffered minor leg injuries and is expected to make a full recovery, Patten said.
“He definitely had some leg injuries,” Patten said. “It was a similar accident [to Tuesday’s accident], so the injuries are going to be similar as well.”
Wednesday’s accident was the second pedestrian accident involving a Yale student reported during the past two days. Yul Yang ’07 was hospitalized at Yale-New Haven Tuesday after being hit by a pickup truck at the intersection of Sachem and Prospect streets at approximately 1 p.m.
Yang was not available for comment yesterday, but officials at Yale-New Haven said he was released from the emergency room shortly after the accident occurred.
Although Winchester said she was unable to comment on the cause of Wednesday’s accident, Yale officials said the incidents are not indications that the Science Hill area is unsafe for pedestrians. Poor weather, Patten said, was the most likely cause.
“When it rains, kids run from place to place with jackets and books over their heads,” Patten said. “Those kind of conditions are conducive to accidents.”
Some students said they have mixed feelings about the safety of the Science Hill area for pedestrians. David Einstein ’07 said that while he thinks the hill is generally safe, there are steps that can be taken to improve conditions for students walking to class.
“I think the major problem at the intersection at Sachem and Prospect is that they have vendors all over the place that block visibility,” Einstein said. “Aside from that, it’s not a dangerous intersection.”
Deputy Secretary Martha Highsmith said that if more accidents occur, the University will examine ways to make Prospect Street safer for pedestrians. Among the possible solutions, Highsmith said, are the installation of crosswalks, streetlights and speed detectors to alert motorists of their speeds as they pass, which she said has been the most effective way to combat speeding.