EMT eyewitness sings different tune

Author: Russ Johanson '06

I could feel my blood pressure slowly rising as I read the latest report of Elizabeth DiCioccio's '06 accident in The Middlebury Campus ["Police complete investigation," Feb. 16].

First, "injuries to the torso" does not do justice to the life-threatening injuries inflicted upon Liz. The head nurse of the emergency room, where Liz spent a night before ending up in the ICU for three days, told me that Liz's liver laceration was a four out of five, with five being "certain death." Her back is broken in at least four places, and at least two ribs are also broken. She punctured a lung and a kidney. In short, her body was crushed. I for one am not sure if the rib injuries were caused by the two tires of the Middlebury recycling truck running on top of her or by being struck by it as the vehicle was racing backwards. Judging by the article and the college's response (ignorance), I would think myself to be the only one who was worried about her. Fortunately Liz has many great friends who supported her.

Speaking of the Middlebury truck, I am extremely relieved to hear that the Middlebury Policy Department (MPD) report is consistent with the Public Safety record: the fact that the lights and alarm were operational makes me feel much safer. But it is difficult to see backup lights when you are walking away from a truck. The College, Public Safety and the MPD have made an even bigger mistake. They are all relying on the alarm and lights to dissipate blame. I do not want to place fault anywhere, but I want the facts to be heard. All of the safety features in the world would not have prevented this accident, because the driver was backing up too fast. Anyone who has walked around campus lately during the daytime has had this experience: whether it is a Gator, a pickup, or a recycling truck, all of the facilities vehicles are oblivious to the concept of a pedestrian campus and zip around the walkways. I have heard the same story of people being forced off sidewalks and near-misses from deans, teachers, students and staff, and they are all aware of this problem. Anyone driving on sidewalks should know that it is their privilege, whereas it is the pedestrian's right, to be there. Yet The Campus cites the fact that sidewalks are "frequently utilized" by drivers - who, if "Vermont Statute 23" did apply, would probably be out of a license - to imply that pedestrians need to be more aware on the walkways.

If the truck had been going slowly, this tragedy would have been avoided. Officer Ken Hawkins is quoted, the "visibility from the truck's mirrors would have been impossible," which is false. We walked directly perpendicular to the truck's path until turning to walk behind it, and in that period (walking from Hall A to Hall B), we must have passed across the side view mirror. Whether the driver was looking is another issue. The fact that we were not rushing anywhere, as Officer Hawkins is quoted as erroneously reporting, only means we would have been visible in the mirror for a longer period of time. Moreover, many Middlebury students do rush all over campus, and that hasn't justified any accidents yet. In fact, if I were driving a large, heavy, potentially dangerous truck on a college sidewalk, I would probably play it safe and expect people to be rushing.