Student hit by car in GSCO parking lot

A GSCO student was hit by a car on Monday Aug. 23. in a campus parking lot.

The accident occurred around 8:45 a.m. during a peak time for students entering and leaving the campus.

The student, an 18-year-old unidentified male, was hit by a female entering the driveway to parking lot B. The lot provides parking by the Student Resource Center and the 300 Building. It is believed that the brightness of the sun was the direct cause of the accident, and speeding was not involved.

“Drivers need to be more aware of people crossing the street,” said Adan Diaz, a security officer at GSCO. “They need to be very aware of their surroundings.”

Oconee County Sherriff’s Deputy Sgt. James Hale was the first to respond. The Georgia State Patrol then arrived on the scene and took over the accident.

“Everyone needs to be very careful,” said Mark Jones, Director of Business Services. “Especially given the parking situation right now.”

Parking was affected by the incident, as students were rerouted out of lot B, leaving many to have to park in the grass.

The entrance into lot B is a dangerous intersection at GSCO.

Public Safety and Security staff will be evaluating the situation to help prevent other accidents from happening. This is the first time a pedestrian has been hit at the GSCO campus.

The male, whose information has not been released, was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated.

“He is scraped up, but was conscious,” Jones said. “We are thankful that nobody got seriously injured.”

Editor’s note: This is a developing story. We will continue updating as we receive more information.