College Student Hospitalized After Being Struck By Port Authority Bus In Oakland
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
OAKLAND (KDKA) – A female University of Pittsburgh student wound up at the hospital early Monday after getting hit by a Port Authority bus.
Police tell us the crosswalk is clearly marked with signs telling pedestrians to "look left."
The college student was hit by the 71A bus, near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and University Place, just after 9:30 a.m. It is right across from the front lawn of Soldiers and Sailors.
She was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, along with a passenger on the bus and the bus driver.
Port Authority Police said the bus driver will undergo drug and alcohol testing as per standard protocol.
Students tell KDKA that it's a busy intersection and many students do not look both ways.
"I think a lot of people just aren't concerned," said Calvin Hogate. "You do it every day and you start to feel really comfortable."
Hogate added that it is finals week for many students, possibly contributing to students' levels of distraction.
"People need to be responsible for themselves, but also it's the responsibility for the driver to just kind of know that college students are a little preoccupied and maybe aren't always the most attentive," said Hogate.
Student Stephen Cheney said he's experienced a close call before along Fifth Avenue.
"I think something like just crossing a street on a campus like Pitt is so second nature and you're not really paying attention because you do it all the time," said Cheney. "I've definitely taken a step into the cross walk and a bus is coming and they always honk at you."
With several thousand students crossing a busy stretch of road each day, student Emmet Sheehan suggested a possible alternative to the traditional crosswalk.
"Maybe we could do an increase in infrastructure? They've tried to do sky bridges walking over the traffic on Forbes and maybe that's something we could look at in the future," said Sheehan.
Sheehan added that many students are preoccupied and staring at their electronics, instead of watching traffic.
"Everybody is always on their phone, studying for finals and everything and there's a little itty bitty little sign," he said.
KDKA reached out to the University of Pittsburgh for comment or an update on the victim's condition and have yet to hear back.
