Due to inattentiveness, a Nicholls student hit a stop sign in the parking lot near Powell/White Hall last week, causing the car to flip over.
University Police Capt. Danny Kraemer and Officers Michelle Harris and Alberta Skidmore responded to the scene.
“She was making a wrong turn and it looks like she cut across an empty parking space to get to a parking spot. She hit the post just right with her tire, panicked and pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake,” Kraemer said.
“The passenger tire rolled up and bent the post, causing her to flip over.”
The student did not sustain any injuries. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance and later released, Kraemer said.
As of press time, there was no police report available.
Accidents happen on campus an average of once a week with the majority in parking lots, Kraemer said.
Most accidents occur because drivers do not pay attention,
especially when backing up, he said.
In recent years, there has not been anyone seriously injured on campus, Kraemer said.
“There have been a few accidents where people have been hit in the crosswalk, but nothing very serious,” he said.
To prevent accidents, drivers should be more alert and attentive to students walking across the parking lot. Also, they should slow down and obey the speed limit on campus, Kraemer said.
If a student does have an accident, the correct protocol is to leave the vehicle at the scene of the accident and call University Police, he said. An officer will arrive at the scene as soon as possible.
Because Nicholls is self-insured through the state of Louisiana, the University can neither accept nor deny liability claims, Michael Davis, assistant vice president of business affairs, said. If someone decides to file a claim, it is
forwarded to risk-management in Baton Rouge, he said.