A UF student riding a scooter was hit by a car Friday near Turlington Plaza, suffering minor injuries to her leg.
Meredith Huggins, a UF applied physiology and kinesiology junior, was hit by the white Honda Civic at about 1:20 p.m., right before class was let out.
Her leg was caught between the scooter and the car. Huggins was unable to stretch her leg from its bent position when EMTs asked her. The student was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital with minor injuries, University Police spokesperson Major Brad Barber said.
About 100 students on Turlington witnessed the crash, and several called police and helped lift Huggins from the road to the sidewalk.
UF spokesperson John Hines confirmed Higgins was a student.
UPD has not determined who is at fault for the crash, and an investigation is ongoing, Barber said.
UF spokesperson Steve Orlando was talking with UF journalism professor Mike Foley when he heard the impact. Orlando called 911 soon after.
“It sounded like a crunch,” Orlando said.
Orlando said the car was turning left onto Turlington Plaza when it hit Huggins.
Clare Roca, a 21-year-old UF public relations junior, said she didn’t know Huggins but instinctively went to help. Roca has been trained in CPR and first aid.
“I just knew that nobody else was going to go up to help,” Roca said. “The bystander effect, so that’s why I went up.”
Roca said the driver of the car sat for a while and seemed to be in shock.
Ashli DeFina, a 20-year-old UF communication sciences and disorders junior, was walking by when she saw Huggin’s Gator backpack and blond hair. DeFina, who knows Huggins from their cheer club at UF, ran forward to see what was happening.
“The fact that she didn’t straighten out her leg was a little scary,” DeFina said. “You support your cheer friends no matter what.”
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An EMT responds to Meredith Huggins who was hit by a car while on her scooter. She had leg pain and struggling to straighten her leg.
