On Nov. 12, sophomore engineering students Nicole Gibson and Honnalee Fern Go were hit by a car while walking on the sidewalk near N. 17th Street and Wisconsin Avenue at about 9 a.m.
Both became unconscious at the scene and were brought directly to Froedtert Hospital on West Wisconsin Avenue. Gibson suffered from a fractured skull and leg while Go fractured both legs and had a lacerated kidney.
The driver, 71-year-old Willie Page, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he “didn’t remember a thing.” The report Milwaukee Police officials filed at scene concluded that he suffered a seizure while behind the wheel.
Both Go and Gibson declined via email to comment further on their progress. Gibson said they are still recovering from the accident.
“All car accident (reports) we receive are handled by the Milwaukee Police Department,” said Department of Public Safety Captain Russell Shaw. “If we receive calls, we forward them directly to the department.”
Froedtert Hospital sees approximately 276 car accident victims each year, said Nalissa Wienke, a media and public relations associate for the hospital.
“In 2011, 27 percent of our Level One Trauma Center admissions were due to motor vehicle crashes,” Wienke said. “We had (a total of) 2,135 patients admitted through our trauma center.”
According to the hospital’s website, 66 percent of patients arrived at the trauma center via (paramedic), as Gibson and Go did.
L. Christopher Miller, vice president for Student Affairs, sent an email to the student body on November 13th with an update on how the two students were doing.
“According to their parents, Nicole Gibson is stable and healing and Honnalee Go is expected to be released from the hospital later this week,” he said in the email.
“We encourage all of our students to continue to pray for the families and to seek support services from the Counseling Center, Campus Ministry and Residence Life staff,” the email read. “We know many of you are concerned about the well-being of the students, but we ask that you respect the privacy of the families during this difficult time. We will update our community when we are able.”