Saturday, September 06, 2008
2 Tech students struck by car, hospitalized
Two Virginia Tech
students remain hospitalized after they were struck by a car while
walking in downtown Blacksburg early this morning, Blacksburg police
said.
Kellsye Pitsenbarger and Amanda Tyus,
both 21, were walking west on the Progress Street sidewalk when an
eastbound 2001 Honda Civic moving at a high rate of speed ran off the
right side of the road and struck them about 1:40 a.m., according to
Blacksburg police Sgt. Nathan O'Dell.
Pitsenbarger was struck by the front driver's side of the car and knocked into the road, O'Dell said.
Tyus was struck by the front of the car and thrown onto the hood and through the windshield, O'Dell said.
With Tyus still in the windshield, the
car continued through the front yard of a home at 1011 Progress Street,
crashed through a chain-link fence and went into the yard of 1009
Progress Street, where it struck a tree and finally came to a stop.
O'Dell said the windshield was demolished.
Tyus and Pitsenbarger were taken to
Montgomery Regional Hospital. Pitsenbarger was admitted there with
injuries to her leg and head, O'Dell said.
Tyus suffered head trauma, O'Dell said. She was taken from Montgomery Regional to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
The driver of the car, 20-year-old
Ryan William Wresch, also a Tech student, was charged with driving
under the influence and possession of marijuana, O'Dell said. He said
Wresch took a breath test to check his blood alcohol level. A search
revealed that he had marijuana, O'Dell said.
Wresch and his passenger weren't hurt.
Progress Street was closed from Winston Avenue to Watson Avenue for about five hours while police investigated the crash.
