Two students hit by cars

By Katherine Tolentino

Two Santa Clara students are suffering from serious injuries after being struck by oncoming cars in two separate incidents last week.

Sophomore Talbot Clarke was crossing the street at El Camino Real and Benton last Friday at 7:25 p.m. when she was hit by an oncoming van.

According to Paula Moreno, a good friend of hers, Clarke broke several ribs and sustained severe head trauma after hitting her head against the windshield of the car. The Santa Clara Police Department is still investigating the exact cause and details surrounding the accident, according to spokesperson Kenia Soto.

Moreno says that Clarke had been planning to show a visiting friend around the area and was on her way to the train station when the accident occurred.

She is currently being treated at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, a Center well known for its quality trauma care. She has undergone two surgeries, and was in a medically-induced coma until Monday night. According to Moreno, Clarke is now breathing on her own, but it will take her another week to wake fully from the coma.

Father Jack Treacy, who has visited Clarke several times this week, says students and faculty "prayed for [her] at all the Masses at the mission church on Sunday."

Clarke's friends have also formed a Facebook group to share hopes and prayers for her recovery.

"I'm just amazed at how many people have come together," said Moreno, who grew close with Clarke after meeting her through a mutual friend last year. "It's really important to be able to support her even though she's in a coma. So people post comments in this group, and we're hoping to read it to her."

"Talbot is really one of the strongest people I know," Moreno continued. "If anything, out of anyone to be in this situation, she's probably the ideal person."

The second accident took place last Tuesday, at the corner of Market and Main Streets. Junior Kelly Wells was struck by an oncoming car while biking through a crosswalk on her way home. In a matter of seconds, the driver knocked Wells off her bike, then ran over her and the bike together.

Wells spent a few nights in the hospital to receive treatment for two large puncture wounds in her calf, and remained bedridden until returning to classes Tuesday afternoon.

Though she suffered no broken bones from the incident, her recovery is complicated by her hemophilia, a condition that delays her blood from clotting.

"It just really shows you that you're not invincible, you know?" said Wells. "I saw the car put the brakes on and, stupidly, I thought, ‘I have the right of way. He better stop,' not even thinking that he might not see me."

For Wells, support from her friends, family and professors has been particularly meaningful.

"Honestly, more than anything, I just feel lucky because everybody has just been so supportive," she said. "When I was in the hospital...my friends were just filing in and out...everybody has been there for me 150 percent."

Vice Provost for Student Life Jeanne Rosenberger details the kind of support students receive from the school in these tough situations.

"Each situation and circumstance is unique and often requires follow-up over a period of days or weeks. In most cases, a member of the Office of Student Life team will work with a student and their family throughout the period of time when assistance is needed," said Rosenberger in an email.

This assistance can include anything from contacting professors and assisting in academic changes to coordinating logistics for parents visiting from out of state and offering support to roommates, residents and other affected students.

Regardless of the support systems in place for injured and ill students, Clarke's and Wells' accidents raise questions about pedestrian safety around campus. Especially considering next year's campus expansion to include upperclassmen housing across the busy El Camino Real, the heavy traffic in Santa Clara's streets poses a very real, and growing, threat to students.

Contact Katherine Tolentino at ktolentino@scu.edu or call (408) 5554-4546.