I was hit by a car last September.

I have been trying to write this article for the past seven months. I’ve been thinking about the incident a lot lately and decided it was about time to get it on paper.

What a way to kick off my senior year! On the third Monday of fall semester, I spent the day excited to lead The Dickinsonian in my first print production as Editor-in-Chief. I never made it to print production, though, because that afternoon, as I crossed College St. in the crosswalk coming out of the HUB, a car coming from the right side didn’t stop. It rammed into me, knocked me to the ground, and ran over my leg. I was seriously injured, and I spent weeks at home on bed rest.

Because of one driver who didn’t stop—who was cited—all of my plans for senior year disintegrated immediately. For instance, I’m proud of how I’ve led The Dickinsonian this year, but I wanted to do so much more with the paper. I missed weeks of classes and extracurriculars. I didn’t go out on weekends. I didn’t go into town. I didn’t go to Harrisburg. I couldn’t make it to events including campus talks and sports games. I fell behind on my classwork. The wind in my sails was gone. All I could hope for was to somehow hobble (no pun intended) to the end of the semester. It sucked.

I was surprised by the variety in response from various college departments to the incident. Student Life and the CARE Team both sent me a list of campus resources, and the CARE Team followed up with me several times. ADS supported me in getting accommodations and notes for the weeks of class I missed and advised me on how to get around campus on my knee scooter. Before I returned to campus, Facilities modified my bathroom because I couldn’t stand up to wash. But DPS didn’t follow up at all, and the college administration was surprisingly unaware of the details.

However, a lot of people did show up to support me: my family, my roommate, my friends, my professors, and my classmates. I wouldn’t have been able to make it without them.

Now, seven and a half months out and just over two weeks away from graduation, I’m still recovering. For example, getting through crosswalks is still hard,  I flinch when a car comes up fast, and I have to work hard not to freeze in the middle of the road. I can’t change what happened to me, but I can do the best I can.