On Monday Feb. 18 Leah Poole, a sophomoreat Winston- Salem State, was struck bya car while crossing Martin Luther King Jr.Drive. Poole was crossing the busy street in the crosswalk when she was permitted to cross by a car slowing at the stoplight.
According to WSSU Police Captain Marcus Sutton, Poole was then struck by acar, driven by Darryl McCrae, who was in the left lane heading in the direction of Bowman Gray Stadium.
In the past few years, these types of incidents have occurred frequently as construction of dorms and other buildings have gone up along with enrollment, leading to an increase of foot traffic on MLK.
Senior Dianna Sanders says that the options for dealing with traffic appear to be limited.
“I think that because our campus is an open campus and Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. is such a busy street, and I don’t see anything getting safer, the only solution I see is building a pedestrian bridge,” Sanders said.
Steps have been taken to improve the safety of students, but many people are questioning whether enough is being done.
WSSU campus police have undergone extensiveradar training to combat the speeding problems on and around campus. In addition, the WSSU National Alumni Association have suggested that the university work with the city of Winston-Salem, that maintain MLK, to lower the speed limit through the portion of the street in which the school is located.
Such attempts have been made in the past, but with little success.
The WSSU campus police often assist theWinston-Salem police with incidents on MLK, but it is the sole responsibility of the city police to maintain the safety of the busy street.
McCrae, driver of the car involved in the accident, was charged Feb. 20 with driving with a revoked license and failure to leave information after the accident.
Poole suffered no serious injuries and is recovering at home.