Re: Distracted Driver Hits Pedestrian in University Park
A couple of updates from Chief Gary Adams concerning last night’s accident near Airline and Fondren in University Park.
Both the driver of the car and the pedestrian are students of SMU. The pedestrian was taken to Baylor Hospital with possible injuries to her hip and leg. Charges have not been filed at this time as the investigation is still underway.
I don’t have the condition on the young lady as they won’t give that out to us due to HIPPA. The driver was identified as 21 year old Katherine Joy Bedford a student at SMU and the pedestrian has been identified as Halle Elizabeth Griggs a 20 year old SMU student. The contributing factors to the accident are driver inattention and the pedestrian failed to cross at a cross walk.
A broken pelvis is no joke.
This is a terrible accident, but for those of us who live in the area and drive here often, it is one that we knew was bound to happen. In addition to distracted drivers, numerous SMU students do not seem to know how to use a crosswalk. I try to be very attentive to those using crosswalks correctly, only to have SMU students darting across the street wherever they please. Frankly, I am surprised this is the first such incident!
In all my years I have never encountered as SELFISH a pedestrian as the SMU STUDENT BODY. They straggle along, never hurry, rarely look up at the cars. They exhibit an entitlement to the crosswalk. Yes, I do know that pedestrians have the right of way. However, they never pause or stop for the cars– even when the car has been at the intersection long before the walker. Rude,rude,rude.
A side note– a few different SMU girls have completely jammed up on me and gotten in my personal space at the checkout line at Tom Thumb. As in putting their groceries on the belt as I am still unloading my basket and standing in front of the credit card machine BEFORE the signature line comes up for my transaction. Again– rude, rude, rude.
The SMU undergrad students are not even half as selfish as the SMU law students. They clog up Daniel with no regard for anyone else and even stand in the mid-block crosswalk to block traffic so their buddies can turn out of the parking garage in front of the waiting traffic. They never gather into a group and instead, straggle across one by one, sometimes reading text messages, talking on cell phones or just plugging slowly along. I think in the years since the crosswalk opened, I’ve only had one wave of thanks for waiting. Why did they need a cross walk anyway. Can’t they walk to the light at the intersection of Hillcrest and Daniel?