Around 9 a.m. Thursday, Columbia Police Department officers were dispatched to the intersection of College Ave. and Rollins in response to a call about a pedestrian struck by a silver Chrysler van, MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said.

The pedestrian is a female freshman at MU. She asked for her name not to be released.

An ambulance arrived shortly to transport the victim to University Hospital. The hospital said the student is in good condition.

Hospital staff contacted the victim’s family after the incident. She said her parents are coming to Columbia to visit her and make sure everything’s okay.

The freshman said she had joked before about being hit by a car and having the driver pay her tuition, but never expected to actually be hit by a car.

“It’s obviously really terrifying to be hit by a car,” she said.

The victim said she had turned around to talk to her friends behind her and did not see the car coming. She said since she wasn’t the only one crossing the street, she was relieved more people weren’t harmed.

The victim said she thinks the driver did not have the right of way, based on the other street having a green light. One of her friends thought the driver was texting or distracted by something other than the road.

“People who are texting, you’re not only endangering yourself, but you’re also endangering everyone else around you,” the victim said.

Coming from Illinois, a “hands-free” state where drivers aren’t allowed to touch their phones, she said the issue of distracted driving in Missouri is frustrating.

“I really wish people would take distracted driving more seriously,” she said.

Since the incident, she said she is feeling a lot better, but is pretty sore.

“It could have been a lot worse,” she said. “I’m pretty lucky.”

Her injuries consist of minor cuts and bruises, she said. She’ll be in observation overnight for her internal injuries and she said the hospital staff expects her to be out tomorrow morning.

CPD has not released any more information at this time.

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