By Sami Moore and Morey Hershgordon
A red 2006 Mazda 3 parked in the Quinnipiac University Hill Circle lot rolled and crashed into a sophomore residential hall Wednesday afternoon. The accident happened shortly before 2 p.m.
According to a Residence Hall Director, the car belonged to Andy Lavoie, the Residence Hall Director of Commons. At the time of publication, the Hamden Police Department has not confirmed this statement.
According to John Morgan, the Associate Vice President for Public Relations, Quinnipiac University immediately began to evacuate the building.
A Hamden building official then came to the scene to assess the situation. He said it was safe for all residents to return. Unfortunately, the six male students living in room 71B were not allowed back into their room. Quinnipiac University Student Affairs has reached out to the six males about relocating while the building is under construction.
“Our hope is to disperse them into various rooms in the Hill,” Morgan said. “Student’s safety is paramount, here at Quinnipiac.” Morgan does not have a definitive timetable as to when the students will be able to return.
A structural engineer will assess the damage at the scene.
Sophomore Marissa Drago witnessed the damage and noticed the back of the car was wrecked and that bricks from the building were dented.
Sophomore Rowil Thomas, a resident of the neighboring dorm (Hill 71A) recounts the day’s events.
“Well around 1:45 p.m., I received a text message from a friend saying that a car had hit the side of my building,” he said. “I was in my friends room on the other side of campus. I rushed over to my room to see what had happened. Once I got there, I was told to take all my stuff that I will need for the rest of the day out of my room. They also told us to stay in the student center, [in the] library or at a friends room in the mean time.”
And now Thomas’ daily routines are thrown off.
“I can’t go back and get ready or shower after going to the gym.”
Stay with Q30 News for more as this story develops.
