On Tuesday afternoon, the Florida A&M Department of Public Safety received a report that a student had been struck by a vehicle.
When officers arrived on the scene, Icy-Mon’e Eley, a transfer Pre-Pharmacy student from Jacksonville, was lying on the ground in pain after her foot was run over.
Many students attempted to move Eley from under the vehicle but were stopped by others.
“She was screaming the entire time,” said Frank Johnson, a third-year environmental science student from Phoenix.
Johnson said that the victim’s head was down as she was crossing the street.
“I was terrified,” he said. “I have never been so frantic.”
The driver, Jennifer Adams, a first-year student at Lively Technical Center, got out of the vehicle in a panic to check on the victim.
“The car was on her foot for about 15 seconds…she got back in the car and drove over her,” said Courtney Thrower, a graduate occupational therapy student from Fort Lauderdale. “Her leg looked burned.”
Adams said she was headed to Bond Community Health Center from school because of a toothache when the incident occurred.
“I did not mean to hit her…I promise I didn’t see her,” she said.
A friend comforted Adams as she waited for FAMU PD to conclude the investigation. She was found at fault for the incident and received a citation.
Paramedics immediately transported the victim to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where she was discharged shortly after. She suffered minor injuries. Sasha Mathews, also a FAMU student, instantly contacted the victim’s parents after she witnessed the incident. She then followed paramedics to TMH. Mathews, who is a physics student, said Eley is on crutches but she will be returning to school sometime this week.
“We want students and drivers to be a little more cautious,” said Lieutenant Angela Kirkland of FAMU PD.