Above photo shows location of accident. Photo by Jordan Banks.
Third-year student, Jack Blosser was hit by a car while crossing College Avenue on Nov. 29, 2021, at approximately 9 p.m. Now back on campus, Blosser has opened up about the accident.
Blosser was crossing the College Avenue crosswalk by the Public Safety office when he was struck by a car. He had stopped in the middle of the crosswalk as a car had failed to yield to him and while another car traveling the opposite direction struck his legs.
“I remember rolling across the pavement to the other crosswalk – I ended up in the other crosswalk,” said Blosser.
The woman who hit Blosser with her car got out to help him and got him to the sidewalk. As Blosser was on the sidewalk a crowd began to gather as someone dialed 911. Blosser described the pain he felt in his mouth as he could feel something was wrong. He also sustained an injury to his leg.
Once the ambulance arrived Blosser was taken to Grant Hospital where the medical team performed surgery on his knee and mouth. Doctors told Blosser his knee had essentially been shattered and the X-Ray “made it look like chiclets.” Without surgery, his leg would have healed improperly leading to arthritis.
Oral surgery was also required due to the five teeth Blosser broke along with his upper jaw.
“The surgery was four hours for both surgeries,” said Blosser. “And I was in a wheelchair for two months after that and now I’m starting to walk around again.”
Blosser now has to use crutches to navigate his way around campus now. He also attends physical therapy twice a week in the hopes of regaining his strength.
With his return to campus, Blosser is learning to navigate his academic life again. “These past two months have been very slow for me,” said Blosser. “I have a lot of trouble doing schoolwork. Writing papers has taken a long time. I’ve had trouble remembering things. I’ve had trouble with word retrieval as in remembering people’s names and things like that. I’ve been struggling to write emails, especially. Mentally it’s just been difficult and I’ve been very irritable. So it’s definitely messed up my schoolwork.”
Blosser also discussed the last impact this accident has had on his life. “Now I’m afraid of walking across streets. I definitely don’t try to be, but of course, when I’m crossing a street that memory comes back to me.”
Blosser is currently trying to reach a settlement agreement with the insurance company of the woman who hit him. As for legal actions, the woman was fined approximately $140 for failing to yield to a pedestrian.
After the accident, Capital University Student Government met with President Dave Kaufman and Bexley mayor, Ben Kessler, to discuss how the city and university can improve safety and infrastructure.
“It’s possible they could have traffic lights right there, but other than that I don’t know what else they would do,” Blosser said. “I think it’s just that drivers aren’t paying attention.”
