UK students concerned over increase in pedestrians being hit near campus

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - University of Kentucky Police say the victim hit by a car overnight by The Cookout on S. Broadway in Lexington appears to be a UK student.

Lexington Police are investigating the hit and run. The student is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries and is the second hit-and-run in the area in the past week.

“The other day, we were walking past that gas station, and someone came out and side-swiped us as we were walking past,” said Ainsley Cahill, a UK student. “It’s definitely not fun because that situation could have been a lot worse for us, so to hear that that happened to someone else last night is really scary.”

Cahill’s experience is not unusual around the intersection of Angliana Ave. and S. Broadway. Just last week, 20-year-old Jerry ‘Alex’ Creech was struck and killed by a car while riding his motorcycle.

“I just think all of the pedestrians should just stay alert because sometimes the drivers aren’t,” said Brynn Thelen, who was walking with Cahill when they were hit.

The troubling trend is a reminder for pedestrians and drivers to keep each other safe when traveling to their destinations.

“It would definitely be better if drivers did watch out for pedestrians more often, but of course, they have things to do, places to be too.” said Aron Cook, a UK student. “It’s not worth risking a life just to get somewhere a little bit faster.”

According to data from Kentucky State Police, there have been 158 pedestrian crashes in Lexington in 2023 so far; there were 133 pedestrian crashes at this time last year.

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