UNC junior struck by van treated for injuries

After being hit by a University van Tuesday afternoon, junior Charlotte Lindemanis was taken to UNC Hospitals to treat burns, bruises and severe tissue damage.

Lindemanis was hit while crossing the walkway at the intersection of McCauley Street and South Columbia Street as the van made a left turn.

“I fell onto the hood and as I fell back onto the ground, I got hit a second time,” Lindemanis said.

Lindemanis added she instantly felt a stabbing pain in her leg and could not move her arm.

“I got hit by a 10,000 pound metal vehicle,” she said.

The incident underlines the relatively infrequent but ever-present issue of pedestrian and motor vehicle collisions on campus and in Chapel Hill.

Since January 2011, there have been four motor vehicle and pedestrian collisions on campus — one more than the total number of collisions in 2010, according to the Department of Public Safety’s website.

Sgt. Joshua Mecimore of Chapel Hill police said there are several reasons why pedestrians might get hit on campus, such as a car’s failure to yield to the pedestrian, or a person’s ignorance of crossing signals.

At many crossings there are no crosswalk signals and pedestrians are required to walk across the road with traffic, Mecimore added.

He said that in 2008, three people died from injuries associated with pedestrian motor vehicle collisions on UNC’s campus.

“We haven’t had a fatality since,” he said.

Lindemanis was burned from the friction of colliding with the van and had bruises and tissue damage from the impact, she said.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Randy Young said the van was driven by University employee Charles Wagner.

Young said Wagner has been cited for failure to yield.

Wagner ­— who works in design and construction services at UNC — could not be reached for comment.

Lindemanis was taken to UNC Hospitals for treatment immediately after the accident, she said.

“I had to get 35 X-rays,” Lindemanis said.

The surrounding students and onlookers by the event rushed to help, she said.

“Everyone was grabbing my stuff and putting it in my bag for me,” she said, adding that a student made the 911 call.

She has been resting since the incident occurred, she said.

“The doctors said I’m going to get worse before I get better,” Lindemanis said.

“I am just thankful to be alive.”

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