Student struck by construction truck in critical condition, father says
Published: Thursday, September 6, 2012
Updated: Thursday, September 6, 2012 23:09
 "Photo: Daniel Chi / Asst. photo editor")
Daniel Chi / Asst. photo editor
The 18-year-old student involved in a Wednesday afternoon cycling accident has been identified as James Hughes, a first-year in chemical engineering.
After being hit and run over by a construction truck Wednesday, injured cyclist James Hughes’ father said he’d have a long road to recovery.
Ohio State Police identified 18-year-old Hughes, a first-year in chemical engineering, as the student who was hit near a construction site on Woodruff Avenue Wednesday by a dump truck while biking to class.
The South Point, Ohio, native was transported to Wexner Medical Center for treatment of injuries.
Hughes’ father, David Hughes, said his son is in critical condition, but is stable. He said when he heard about the accident and that his son was injured, he was shocked.
“At that time we just knew he’d been hit, we didn’t have a lot of information,” he said. “At this time, to our understanding he left his dorm and was headed to class on his bike, and got hit by a dump truck. He got ran over by the front wheel of the dump truck.”
A representative from the Medical Center said Thursday afternoon that the hospital did not have James Hughes in its system.
David Hughes said that his son is still in the hospital Thursday afternoon.
“He won’t be out of the hospital for a long time,” David Hughes said. “It’s going to be a long road for him.”
He said the incident has been hard on his family, but they have been staying with friends and family in the aftermath and doing a lot of praying.
The university released a statement from Jay Kasey, senior vice president of administration and planning, that expressed his remorse about the situation.
Kasey said that safety remains the “highest priority” on campus, and that the project manager on the construction project is cooperating with the university and is involved in the review of the incident.
“All of us at Ohio State are deeply saddened and concerned about Wednesday’s tragic accident that occurred on Woodruff (Avenue). Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our student and his family,” he said in the release. “The Ohio State University Police Division continues to investigate, and the university will thoroughly and aggressively review the facts.”
The truck involved in the accident was a Monesi Trucking and Equipment Repair truck, and representatives from the company said Thursday they had no comment on the incident.
University Police identified the truck driver as 71-year-old Isaac Hinton, who declined comment to The Lantern Thursday afternoon.
The University Police release stated it will not release further information about the incident until the investigation is complete.
The incident occurred near Woodruff Avenue Wednesday at about 2:45 p.m.
One witness, Xiao Yue, a first-year in finance, said the cyclist was riding his bike near a construction site off Woodruff Avenue, when he was struck by a truck backing out of the site.
She said the Monesi Trucking vehicle paused for a few seconds after striking the student, then continued to back up the vehicle. Yue said the student who had been struck was screaming, and bystanders in the area yelled for the driver to stop.
Police arrived on scene shortly after the incident and Woodruff Avenue remained closed while University Police investigated the scene. Campus Area Bus Service buses were rerouted due to the road closure Wednesday afternoon. The road was reopened sometime between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesday.
According to a Thursday evening ABC6 report, a second student was hit while cycling at Lane Ave. and Fyffe Road Thursday morning. A police report of the incident will not be available until Friday morning, and the student’s condition is unknown.
Rules of the road and bike safety tips can be found on the university police website, as well as the How We Roll website, a group that aims to teach students in Ohio bike safety and foster a “positive bike culture.”
Daniel Chi contributed to this article
17 comments
Us who drive vehicles pay for the roads they make unsafe and it is discriminant to those who pay." This is so misguided I don't even know where to begin.Without explaining the specifics of where the highway and road funding comes from, enjoy this food for thought:If there were only bikes the existing infrastructure would cost/be a fraction of what it is now.I bike and drive a car... where does that put me?
Video tape bikers and see how they ride on campus. That would make an interesting story here. If done honestly you would see bikers go from the street, to the crosswalk, to the street, run red lights, practically run over pedestrians on sidewalks, ride down the middle of the road, and so on.
Bikers should have to follow the same rules as cars/trucks including a valid drivers license, insurance, license plates, and safety signals. If they cannot ride the same speed as traffic then they should use the berm with flashers. If you can get a DUI on a bike why cant you be held to the same standards as those driving beside you? Who would pay for the roads and traffic signals/signs if there were only Bikes on the roads?
Us who drive vehicles pay for the roads they make unsafe and it is discriminant to those who pay.
is a member of the 
