Saint Mary’s Campus Safety received a call at 9:17 p.m. regarding a car accident at the intersection of State Road 933 and The Avenue. The crash involved a driver and passenger in a dark blue Chevrolet Equinox and a South Bend resident in a silver Toyota Camry Hybrid. No pedestrians were injured in the crash.
The Notre Dame Police Department, Notre Dame Fire Department, South Bend Police Department and St. Joseph County Fire Department were all present at the scene.
Sergeant Sidney Leda of the St. Joseph County Police Department said the driver in the Chevrolet sustained a minor injury and was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph County Memorial Hospital. The passenger in the Chevrolet and the resident were unharmed.
The resident’s vehicle was hit while en route to drop off a DoorDash order at Saint Mary’s.
According to Saint Mary’s security officer Elmer Carter, the other driver who was driving the Chevrolet, allegedly ran a red light at the intersection and hit the resident’s vehicle.
Carter said he was the first Saint Mary’s responder on the scene after the call was received by dispatch and later called for an ambulance for the driver of the Chevrolet. The driver, seen by Carter, was “laying on the side of the road” past the intersection toward Holy Cross College. He said the driver was conscious when he arrived at the scene.
Lieutenant Matthew Barr from the Notre Dame Police Department said they wanted to ensure everything was safe and blocked off in the area.
“It was just a car accident, just checking everybody out and making sure nobody’s hurt. Then we can get these cars out of here and get it sorted out,” lieutenant Matthew Barr, a police officer for the Notre Dame Police Department, said.
Saint Mary’s sophomores Syd Klaer and Leah McLaughlin crossed by the scene while various emergency vehicles were present. They said at least seven police cars including two K-9 units, two firetrucks and an ambulance passed by. The College’s security department helped to block off the main path entering from St. Mary’s Road, with drivers being rerouted.
“We were driving in, getting ice cream, then saw it and then walked over here,” McLaughlin stated.
Klaer mentioned that they were not able to view much of what occurred due to the lineup of cars.
“I just hope everyone’s safe. We just didn’t really see much, we just walked down here and turned around,” Klaer said.
Lieutenant Corey Cole from the Notre Dame Fire Department said little about the crash, which he believed occurred on the intersection.
“The only thing that I can tell you was that there was a car accident, car versus car, no pedestrian was hit. One got transported to the hospital to observe her injuries and the other two signed refusals,” he stated.
The fire department responded to Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame and Holy Cross campuses, along with Clay Fire and South Bend areas as needed. The Notre Dame Police Department contacted the fire department. Following the immediate incident, the University’s fire department turns it over to the South Bend Fire Department and then signs refusals.
Blinkie was also rerouted down the St. Mary’s Inn entrance due to the intersection block-off.
