The squealing of tires still echoed in my ears long after the car sent us flying to the wet, cold pavement of the crosswalk. Picking ourselves up, my friend and I looked at each other with big, questioning eyes. “Did that really just happen?” The girl behind the wheel of the car that hit us looked panicked, but after nervously rolling down her window to ask if we were okay, she quickly and cowardly made her escape down 8th Street, without offering any help.

Just days ago, memories of my own accident from last semester resurfaced when I heard of another Baylor student who was hit by a car at that very same intersection. A freshman student was riding his bike at the corner of MP Daniel and 8th Street (in front of Collins Hall and the Collins Parking Garage) when a car pulled out without seeing him. While my friend and I walked away with only minor scrapes and bruises, the student hit on Sunday was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment and has since been released.

So from one pedestrian-accident victim to another, I wish you the quickest of recoveries. And to our fellow students, please please please drive carefully. I know that the 20 MPH speed limit on campus can be quite frustrating, especially when you’re late to class or on the hunt for an available parking spot, but your sacrifice to reduce your speed would be appreciated. We’re big kids and do not need anyone to hold our hands while crossing the street, but maybe crossing the street wouldn’t be such a danger if drivers would just slow down and take the time to look out for one another.