I am the President of the Women's Studies Club on campus, as well as the Program Director for the Women's Leadership Community in Oak Lane, and I am writing you all on behalf of one of our own VT students (her name may not be released at this time for confidentiality and future legal reasons). As some of you may know, Thursday evening at approximately 8 p.m., a freshman biology major was crossing Washington St. by McComas Hall, and was struck by a vehicle. What you may not know are some of the details that are pressing at this time.
1) The 40+ year old driver had been drinking enough to be significantly over the legal limit.
2) The student was not struck- she was completely run over. TWICE. After the drunk driver realized he had hit someone, he proceeded to put the truck in Reverse and back over her a second time ( presumably on accident). She is a tiny girl, and she was run over by a truck TWICE.
3) She is miraculously alive, and doing well considering her injuries. She is suffering from a shattered pelvis, a punctured lung, an arm broken so badly that it requires surgery, as well as massive tissue damage to her legs, arms, and chest. She cannot move her arms hardly at all, but she is in good spirits and was smiling both times I visited her today.
4) Her family has no medical insurance for her, and they are not independently wealthy (a practical requirement to be able to pay medical bills of this magnitude without major financial hardship). The family is also incurring incidental costs from time lost from work, hotel bills, meals eaten out because they can't cook in a hotel room, etc.
My organizations have been working hard to try and fundraise as much as possible for this young woman, but more is desperately needed. I firmly believe that as a community, Virginia Tech has a responsibility to help out, even if it's only a few dollars from each of us, to help this family in their time of need and present a unified front that Drunk Driving on our campus WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Although I understand the tightness of everyone's budget, time is of the essence right now. This young woman is tough enough that she is scheduled to be released Tuesday morning most likely, but she will be in a wheelchair and still unable to dress or feed herself. The family will have to help her out for a few weeks for sure, and they will lose massive amounts of money by missing work for that.
If you have any questions or have gathered funds for the family, please contact me as soon as possible at
trgreen@vt.edu. You are also welcome to call me anytime at (540) 392-8727.
Thank you all so much for your time and help. The family is eternally grateful to the community for their aid during this difficult time.
Tracy L. Green
Founder, Women's Leadership Community
President & Founder, Women's Studies Club (
wsclub@vt.edu)
Virginia Tech University
trgreen@vt.eduPlease keep this young woman in your prayers.
