A Middlebury College student was struck by a vehicle on Sept. 26, 2024, leading to the arrest of Bridport, Vt. resident Jordyn Walker, 26, for driving under the influence and operating a motor vehicle on a public highway in a negligent manner. Concerns about pedestrian safety on campus have prompted safety warnings from the college’s Department of Public Safety this fall, including public signs at crosswalks around campus warning passersby to look up and wait for cars to stop.
At 10:13 p.m. that night, Middlebury Regional Emergency Medical Services (MREMS) notified Middlebury’s Department of Public Safety that ambulances were being dispatched to College Street in response to a man struck by a vehicle.
“Two of our officers were immediately dispatched to the scene of the accident, later followed by a sergeant while the team also verified that the Middlebury Police Department (MPD) was aware of the incident,” wrote Associate Vice President of Safety Demetria Kirby in an email to The Campus.
When Public Safety arrived at the scene, MPD was already assisting the injured man, who was identified as a student at the college. Public Safety officers helped paramedics to the location of the accident to begin medical treatment and started gathering witness statements, according to Kirby. The student, not in critical condition, was transported to nearby Porter Hospital. Walker, who was driving the vehicle, was taken into custody by law enforcement.
MPD Sergeant Casey Covey stated in an affidavit that the student sustained injuries to his left leg and ankle from the collision. Additionally, two student witnesses estimated Walker’s vehicle was driving approximately 40 to 50 miles per hour and saw the student fly through the air, according to MPD records. Statements from Walker and a handprint on the windshield confirm that the student hit the vehicle’s windshield.
After Covey smelled alcohol on Walker and noticed empty alcohol cans in the pocket of the front passenger seat, Walker admitted to consuming alcohol at two nearby establishments prior to operating the vehicle. Covey then conducted a Standardized Field Sobriety Test and a preliminary breath test, to which Walker consented and that showed a result of 0.157 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC). As Walker’s results were higher than Vermont’s BAC limit of 0.08 percent, Covey arrested her for driving under the influence.
This is Jordyn Walker’s second offense after a prior D.U.I. during a one-car crash in Shoreham, Vt. on Feb. 24, 2021, according to the Addison Independent crime log. Walker’s hearing date in the College Street case is set for Jan. 13, 2025.
Before the accident, Public Safety had already begun efforts to encourage crosswalk safety, according to Kirby. Public Safety sent an email to the college community on Wednesday, Oct. 23 containing safety advice for when walking, jogging or biking, especially around railroads.
“Stop at the crosswalk and wait until there are no vehicles approaching. Look at the driver once they’ve stopped and seek eye contact. Wave to the driver before you cross the road,” Kirby wrote in the community email. Signs at each of the crosswalks on College Street also serve as similar reminders to pedestrians crossing the road there.
“Pedestrian safety is a priority at Middlebury, especially because we have several well-traveled roads intersecting our campus,” Kirby wrote to The Campus. “We posted signs about safety at crosswalks last year and the decision to post signs at crosswalks again was made before this unfortunate incident although this incident certainly brings attention to the need for them.”
