By IAN BENJAMIN
Executive Editor
A sophomore communications student was involved in an accident at the Madison Ave. crosswalk Thursday, Feb. 16. The student, Blaise Joseph Bryant, suffered no permanent damage, and only sustained bruising to his knees.
Shortly before the accident, at approximately 9:15 a.m., Bryant was crossing from the Albertus Hall side of Madison heading towards the Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media, where an interview with president R. Mark Sullivan was to be held at 11 a.m.
“I heard a few kids crossing,” said Bryant, who is blind, and uses a cane. “They were walking at a normal pace.” The audible walklight had just finished signalling that it was safe to walk but, by his approximation, it was still safe to cross.
“Once that thing starts beeping you have a few seconds, I mean, in upwards of 10 to 15. With this in mind, I say to myself, ‘Okay, I should be fine.’”
As Bryant crossed he collided with an eastbound car. “I managed to run into the driver’s side of a very slow moving car,” Bryant said. He assumes that the car was getting ready to stop and it just so happened that he and the car “arrived at the same place at the same time.” Bryant distinctly remembers hearing the voices of two people in the car.
“I heard a lady in the car say, “Oh gosh!” and a gentleman say, “Let me call you back,” said Bryant. He stresses that he is not certain “if the driver or the passenger was on a cellphone.” The two occupants that Bryant heard are local residents, and it was the woman who was driving, according to security. She stopped the car and got out to check on Bryant’s welfare.
Although Bryant was bruised on both knees during the accident, a day afterwards he said that they feel fine. In addition, “the right side view mirror came into contact with Blaise’s arm,” said Steve Stella, director of safety and security.
Saint Rose security officers Thomas DeCicco and David Mankad were in the vicinity and quickly provided help. Although security offered to call for an ambulance to transport Bryant to a local hospital, he refused, saying that, “I have an interview I need to cover. I just don’t have time to do this right now.” The interview, which did not occur Thursday as scheduled, was to be recorded in the CCIM and broadcast as the first of a new series of podcasts the College is creating. It has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23.
The audible signal by which Bryant was gauging whether it was safe to walk was installed in the most recent upgrades to the crosswalk, according to statements made previously by John Bryant, assistant vice president for facilities. The signal was “functioning properly at the time of the incident,” according to Stella.
“It is always advisable to be highly alert when crossing streets; especially in an urban environment,” Stella said. “Motorists can be distracted by various factors, including electronic devices, passengers or environmental reasons (glare, snow, rain, etc.).”
After the accident, Bryant received calls from security, health services, and area coordinator Rachel Burgess. He has also since received a deluge of e-mails, calls, and questions showing concern for his well being. “I really do appreciate the kindness that everyone that reached out displayed,” Bryant said.
Bryant is a communications major who is concentrating in broadcast journalism. He is the second student to have had a collision with a vehicle at the crosswalk this academic year. Seaneeba Thompson, also a communications major, was struck by a Suburban last October. During the accident she suffered contusions to her hips and ribs, as well as damage to her back.
In anticipation of assumptions that might be made, Bryant wanted to say that, “I’m not sure if it was my fault or the driver’s fault.”
