A student who saw a Boston University police car strike a student on Commonwealth Avenue last week confirmed details provided by another witness and said he was not asked to issue a statement until three days after the collision.
In a Boston Police Department report obtained by The Daily Free Press, witnesses said the officer made an illegal U-turn in front of Marsh Plaza, crossing the MBTA tracks and hitting School of Law graduate student Yeon Lee on the outbound side of Commonwealth Avenue. The BU Police Department has not commented about the Oct. 23 collision and is conducting an investigation.
BUPD officers questioned witnesses at the scene after the collision, according to School of Law graduate student Ross Bul, who gave his account to the Free Press.
Bul said police did not ask him to answer further questions and issue a written statement about the accident until Oct. 26, after the Free Press printed three stories on the incident. His statement confirms details from College of General Studies sophomore Elizabeth Brennan, who witnessed the collision and rushed to help the victim. Lee was taken to a hospital and underwent X-rays the next day.
Bul was talking on his cellphone and heading West on Commonwealth Avenue when he heard a scream that Tuesday night, according to his statement.
“I turned around just in time to see a petite Asian girl get hit by a BUPD vehicle in the crosswalk,” Bul said in the statement. “She screamed, got hit approximately at her left hip and hit the ground on her right side, motionless.”
Bul said he was a few steps behind Brennan when they approached the victim. When Brennan told the officer, who exited his car, that she was taking classes in emergency medical technician training.
“I approached and asked the girl if she was okay, but she did not respond to me,” Bul said in the statement. “I think she was just trying to focus on Liz. It seemed that she was in a state of shock and was not crying or moaning. She was not bleeding, and there didn’t seem to be any broken bones.”
Bul said he did not see where the car had approached from.
“I did not notice whether his headlights were on or not,” he stated. “It sure looked like he was turning though, and when he came to a stop after hitting her, his vehicle was turned a bit indicating that he had been in the midst of a left turn.”
Bul said after the collision, an officer on a motorcycle made a U-turn at the same intersection to try to help.
“I know they want to do a thorough job of investigating,” he said in an interview. “They’re really taking their time and making sure they get all the answers from the people that were there and witnessed it in any way.”
