The first-year student who fell off the approximately 10-foot-connector between Baker Hall East and Park-Stradley is recovering at home after spending three days in intensive care.
Eric Ward, a first-year in business administration, said he doesn’t remember the 1:30 a.m. accident that sent him to Wexner Medical Center on Feb. 2, but his friends have since filled him in.
“We went up there (the connector) and then we jumped off to get down from the ledge. But when I did that, it was slippery and I ended up losing my balance and hitting the sidewalk below it,” Ward said. “Apparently six cops showed up and an ambulance came. Luckily I was responsive and able to cooperate.”
While he was responsive at the scene, the fall did not leave him unscathed. Paramedics had to cut off all his clothes, including his shoes, to safely transport him after sustaining head injuries.
While in the Intensive Care Unit, Ward said he was monitored for hemorrhaging. He had sustained internal bleeding in his brain and several fractures around the temporal lobe near the ear on the left side of his head. Bleeding in that area was monitored to make sure it wasn’t entering his brain.
“Basically what they were able to confirm is that none of the bleeding was getting to dangerous levels,” Ward said.
Ward’s injuries didn’t require any surgery, and he was able to return home to Cincinnati on Feb. 4.
He plans to return to Ohio State after recovering but said it will be at least one more week before he returns. Ward said he has meetings with medical professionals and concussion specialists in the next couple weeks, but has another meeting to schedule when he returns.
“Student Life contacted me about some possible violations, so I called them today (Friday), but I won’t be able to meet with them for a while because I won’t be on campus,” Ward said. “Hopefully that goes all right.”
Student Life spokesman Dave Isaacs did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the weekend regarding any pending meetings with Ward.
“Our thoughts are with the student and his family, with hopes for a complete and speedy recovery,” Isaacs said last week in an email.
Ward said he hasn’t talked to anyone from OSU Police following the accident and doesn’t believe there will be any police involvement in the situation.
In a Feb. 4 email, University Police Chief Paul Denton said he would describe the incident having resulted from “unsafe conduct” or “rowdiness,” and the police report and investigation had not been finalized.
Ward said he hopes to put the situation behind him while recovering.
“I have to move on from my mistakes at this point, and move forward,” he said. “Hopefully other people will learn from my mistake.”