A group of University of Tampa students were injured in a traffic accident Monday, Feb. 11, while riding a shuttle bus from the UT campus to the Howard Johnson Hotel.
A minivan ran a red light around 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, at the intersection of North Boulevard and Cass Street, hitting the right side of the Howard Johnson shuttle bus, according to freshman Carly Miller.
“I was reviewing my notes, not paying attention to the road,” said Miller, “until the shuttle driver yelled and then I looked up and saw a minivan hit the right side of the shuttle.”
Miller, a biology and psychology major at UT, hit the seat in front of her and received bruises and a minor abrasion on her knee.
There were seven other students on the shuttle who received minor cuts as well. One student was taken to the hospital with a possible concussion.
Miller said Amanda Adas, a residence life area coordinator who oversees the Howard Johnson, called the students the next day to check on them. Adas was not immediately available for comment.
Krystal Schofield, associate dean of residence life and student affairs, confirmed there was an accident involving the Howard Johnson shuttle bus and another vehicle.
No other comments have been made about the accident from the university.
Melanie Ritter, a freshman sociology major and former Howard Johnson resident, was not on the shuttle bus at the time of the accident. She is happy she no longer has to ride it.
“Moving out of the HoJo was one of the best parts of my second semester so far,” said Ritter. “No more crammed shuttles.”
Every year, the university rents several floors of the Howard Johnson on 111 W Fortune Street. Rooms are set aside mainly for freshmen due to the lack of space in campus residence halls.
The Howard Johnson is a mile away from campus, but students are provided with complimentary shuttles to and from campus. They run roughly every 45 minutes.
According to what Miller could see at the time, the minivan was crushed, while the Howard Johnson shuttle sported minimal damage.
“The accident has made me hesitant about all car rides in general,” said Miller. “I find the shuttle drivers to be very cautious and I trust them, but accidents can happen regardless of how careful people are.”
Stef Crocco can be reached at stefcroccs@yahoo.com