 "Photo: Paul Wentzell")
A truck hit a 32-year-old man near a campus building at approximately 11 a.m. this morning.
Luis Hernandez, a Frank Erwin Center employee, was struck by a white Nissan pick-up truck in front of the Jesse H. Jones Communication Building on Whitis Avenue.
Hernandez showed visible signs of back pain while he laid on the road face down following the accident. He was transported to Brackenridge Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Biology freshman Cody Sears witnessed Hernandez falling after crashing noises caught his attention, he said.
Hernandez was approaching the west side of Whitis when he was unexpectedly hit by the truck, he said.
"The sound was similar to the sound cracking boards make," he said. "It was a horrible sound like the sound of crumpling paper."
Emergency Medical Services arrived to the scene at 11:05 a.m, five minutes after dispatch, said Austin Police Department spokesman Sgt. Richard Stresing.
"He was conscious, breathing and talking when EMS arrived at the scene," he said. Police blocked off traffic at the intersection of Whitis and Dean Keaton Street.
English lecturer Betsy Berry said she postponed her class in wake of the accident. As she was turning on Whitis, she slowed down and pulled over after seeing the police and an ambulance, she said.
"I know the area and what to watch out for, but anybody who doesn't can turn on the road," she said. "Its always an accident waiting to happen."
The driver of the truck was identified and remained on the scene.
"The pedestrian was crossing mid-block where there was no crossroad," Stresing said. "As the vehicle was turning left, the driver looked to his right to check for crossing pedestrians. That's when someone darted out to the road."
Pedestrians should always use the crossroads in order to prevent accidents, he said.
-
Additional reporting by Stephen Keller
Be the first to comment on this article!