The driver who struck a University of Massachusetts student earlier this week was driving illegally with a suspended license, according to police.
Garry Paul, 25, of Springfield was arrested by the UMass Police Department following the accident. He has since been charged with a crosswalk violation and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle.
Witnesses to the accident said Paul's truck hit freshman Olivia Simpson, 18, as she was crossing the street on Eastman Lane near the Totman Gymnasium.
Simpson remains in fair condition at Bay State Hospital, where she was transferred after being transported by ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital immediately following the accident.
For at least the next day or so, Simpson says she will stay at Bay State Hospital while more tests are run to determine the extent of her injuries.
According to Simpson, both her right knee and pelvis were injured in the accident and she is having difficulty walking. Simpson said it is unlikely that she will return to school right away and that she will return home to Washington Heights, N.Y. after she is released from the hospital.
"I don't really remember what happened at all," said Simpson, commenting that she lost consciousness very quickly.
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