College of Arts and Sciences freshman Beatriz Ponce was pronounced dead at 3:48 yesterday morning after being struck by a car on Memorial Drive as she crossed the street to the Hyatt Regency hotel, where many Boston University students are housed.
Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Robert Bousquet said Ponce, 17, was hit by a silver Ford Focus traveling on Memorial Drive at the intersection of Amesbury Street around 11:30 Tuesday night. The driver had a green light, and Ponce did not cross at a crosswalk.
州警察发现Maurizio Ara的司机gona, 31, of Belmont. Witnesses said Aragona got out of the car to try to help Ponce after the accident.
Ponce was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 3:48 a.m., according to Massachusetts General Hospital Public Affairs. The hospital could not disclose any other information about injuries.
“It’s terribly sad and terribly tragic,” BU spokesman Colin Riley said. “Our heart goes out to her family and friends and to all those who knew her and loved her.”
CAS sophomore Hugo Juarez and CAS freshman Chiara Cortez were with Ponce the night of the accident. After playing an intramural soccer game at Nickerson Field in West Campus, the team walked back to the George Sherman Union. Because most of the other teammates lived along Commonwealth Avenue, they left Ponce alone at a BU Shuttle stop by the GSU around 11:15 p.m. The Shuttle is scheduled to stop in front of the GSU at 12 a.m.
Juarez said he believes Ponce either “got tired of waiting for the bus or missed the last one.” Cortez said she did not believe it was possible for Ponce to be too late because she was at the GSU long before the final Shuttle was due.
“The bus either didn’t make it on time, or she got tired of waiting,” Cortez said.
In an email addressed to students this afternoon, Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore noted the hazards of living on an urban college campus.
“Sadly, this accident reminds us all of the dangers ever present in our daily lives,” the email read. “I encourage us all to make personal safety our highest priority.”
Riley also said student safety and security is the university’s “highest priority,” and BU community members should be aware of dangers as simple as crossing the street.
“It’s a preventable accident,” he said. “We want to prevent incidents like this . . . or any potential danger to any member of the BU community. At the same time, we talk to students about it frequently . . . and we say at every opportunity: be alert, make good decisions. People love you and care for you and are concerned for you.”
A BU Today story published yesterday misstated several facts about the accident.
Citing a “preliminary report from the Massachusetts State Police,” BU Today reported Ponce was “returning home with a group of students around 11:30 p.m.” A police report obtained by the Daily Free Press did not contain this information, and interviews with students indicated she returned to the Hyatt alone.
BU Today also reported the time of death as “late on Tuesday, October 3.” In fact, Ponce was pronounced dead Wednesday morning, Oct. 4.
Contributing reporter Isabella Glaser and staff reporter Allison Manning contributed to this article.
