Three student cars seriously damaged in overnight crash

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Crier/Tim Mannila

Three student’s cars were seriously damaged in a car crash on Jan. 29 in Kavanaugh lot.

Madison Trites, Crier Staff

Three cars were hit and damaged in a car accident around 5 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 29.  All three cars belonged to Saint Anselm students but none of the students were in their cars at the time. The accident occurred in Kavanaugh lot next to the stairs leading down to Saint Benedict Court.  The cars were the first three in the lineup.

Goffstown Police discovered a damaged car and its driver off campus.  Upon investigating the scene Goffstown Police came to believe the damage had been done on campus, and they contacted Campus Security at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday.  Campus Security did a check and confirmed that there had been damage done to cars on campus.

The suspect is not a Saint Anselm student, but a minor who is 16 years old.  It is unknown at this time if alcohol was involved, but speed was likely a factor.  The accident is being investigated by Goffstown Police and any consequences for the suspect will be decided in court, not by campus security as it’s out of their jurisdiction.

The students whose cars were damaged were all notified about the incident, and Campus Security provided them with accident reports to file with Goffstown Police as well as the identification information of the suspect for insurance purposes.  All three cars have since been removed from the scene of the accident and have various levels of damage.

Elizabeth Wood, a sophomore at the college who always parks in Kavanaugh Lot, is the owner of one of the cars that was damaged in the crash.  She found out at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday from her father who had been alerted first.  At first, she only knew that her car had been hit but did not know how badly or what had actually happened. “I wasn’t sure how bad it was going to be so naturally I was really nervous and when I got down there I was just angry,” Wood said about finding out about the accident and seeing her car for the first time. She said that her car was appraised, but is totaled and had to be towed away on Thursday, Feb. 2nd. She and her family will not be responsible for paying for any of the damages that occurred as the result of the accident, and neither will the owners of the other cars that were hit on campus.

Many students wonder how something like this accident can be prevented from happening again.  Donald Davidson, the Director of Campus Safety and Security, says that there are cameras, 24-hour patrol on the premises, and someone from Campus Security is always on duty even during holidays. These forms of surveillance are helpful and effective, but it is difficult for Campus Security to prevent everything from happening on a campus that is spread out especially when accidents such as this one can occur so quickly. That is where vigilance from students can be necessary in incidents such as this one.

“If you see something, say something,” said Davidson “even if you aren’t sure.” If a student witnesses an accident on campus and it is an emergency, they should always call 911 first. Davidson also advises getting the license plate number in case the car drives away.

“This will lead to finding the owner,” he said. If you happen to find damage on your car on campus, or you believe something has been stolen from your car on campus, contact Campus Security even if you are not sure where the incident occurred. From there Campus Security will contact Goffstown Police if necessary. In regards to preventing an accident on campus, people should watch their speed limit which is 15 miles per hour on campus. People should also be aware of pedestrians while driving through campus, both at night and during the day when there are so many people walking all around campus.