UC student, 18, killed, another injured after car ran red light, struck them, police say
Two University of Cincinnati students were struck by a speeding car near the school Wednesday afternoon leaving one dead and the other injured.
Cayden Turner was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center following the crash where she died, according to Cincinnati police. She was 18.
Namiya Russell, also 18, was injured in the crash and was listed in stable condition Wednesday night. The Cincinnati Fire Department said a third person was transported to the hospital as well. It is unclear if that person was an occupant of the car.
Investigators said a Honda CR-V was traveling north on Jefferson Avenue just before 4 p.m. at a high rate of speed and ran a red light before striking the women. The vehicle struck a tree near West Martin Luther King Drive, police said.
"The driver fled on foot from the vehicle," a news release from Cincinnati police states. No arrests have been reported in the incident.
The Cincinnati Fire Department reported that the vehicle was suspected to be stolen. Fire officials said one person with minor injuries remained in the car and another three occupants fled.
Joe Mak, 23, a fifth-year architectural engineering student at UC, said he was in the crosswalk at Jefferson and University avenues as Turner and Russell were crossing in the opposite direction.
He said a vehicle came flying through the intersection at high speed. He didn't notice it until someone behind him said to "watch out." He said Russell was clipped by the car and Turner was struck head-on, sending her into the air. She was sent 50-60 feet down the road, he said.
"This shouldn't happen to anyone," Mak said.
In a letter to students and faculty, UC President Neville Pinto confirmed both the women who were struck were UC students.
"I want to share our deepest condolences with the family of our student whose life was taken far too soon. For our injured student, our hopes remain focused on a full recovery," he said.
Neville directed the community to the university's counseling and psychological services for support if needed. Officials at UC have not responded to requests for further comment.
Any witnesses to this crash are asked to contact the Cincinnati Police Department’s Traffic Unit at 513-352-2514.
This is the fifth fatal pedestrian crash in Cincinnati this year. The Enquirer analyzed crash data from the area around UC and found it was a hotspot in the city for pedestrian crashes.
"It's 100 percent a dangerous place," Chris Human, general manager of the 86 Coffee Bar, which sits at the corner of Jefferson and University, said of the intersection. "Cars consistently fly down this road."
He said hundreds of students cross the road each day and it's not uncommon for them to get hit, or nearly hit. He said the city needs to install elevated crosswalks to slow traffic and make pedestrians more visible.
How safe is area for pedestriansHere's what the data show
"I think UC does a really good job within the campus of making it safe, but as soon as you step off you're surrounded by four really dangerous streets," said Quinn Graessle, 21, a fourth-year civil engineering student at UC. "You have people walking on campus every day cross Jefferson and stuff and it's really scary."
Bryce Mortera, 23, a pharmacy student, said more traffic calming measures need to be put in place around campus to slow the flow of traffic.
"It's (an) inconvenience for another minute or so of your life versus someone not being alive," Mortera said. "We're all pedestrians at one point or another."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Car strikes, kills University of Cincinnati student, injures another
