"A UF student was rushed by ambulance to Shands at UF after being pinned underneath a Pepsi delivery truck on campus Friday morning, said Gainesville Fire Rescue officials.
At about 11:20 a.m., the truck backed up on top of Denise Giraldo, who was driving a scooter on Union Road near Turlington Hall.
About 20 witnesses attempted to lift the truck off her but were unsuccessful, said UF employee Allen Rout, who was at the scene.
Giraldo's condition is unknown."
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Moments after this occured, I got a call from a new bus driving pal, but couldn't get to the scene before the police had cleared the area. It was quite frantic for a time, as drivers were calling base for help while the assembled pedestrians tried extricating the girl from beneath the truck.
Ever since my first trip on campus I 've yet to understand how such events are not a daily occurance. Traffic moves amidst a swarm of young people paying little or no attention to the flow of vehicles, and another driver told me that he had to literally stand on his brakes today to avoid running over yet another clueless kid. He parked the bus and ran out to scream at her for being such an idiot...and stepping from a curb without looking because your phone conversation is just too, too important, IS being a first class idiot, so I agreed with him, trying all the while NOT to notice his still shaking hands.
Over 200 crosswalks on campus. 55,000 students. Common sense dictates skyways, pedestrian-only ramps and walkways for the students, faculty, workers, and visitors, and while the college is quick to change one street name after another when a wealthy patron coughs up a major contribution, they don't seem to feel that directing such funds to the mundane is a worthwhile endeavor. That more serious accidents don't occur is nothing less than a tribute to the skill and dedication of each and every driver who must traverse this abomination on a regular basis.
No word yet on the condition of the injured student, and to pass around scuttlebutt wouldn't be fair to her or her family.
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