Traffic on University Drive was diverted around 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, after an accident involving a motorcyclist. Michael Battle, a 57 year-old Prairie View resident, was traveling south on a blue and white Harley Davidson, engraved with “live to ride,” when he allegedly rear-ended the back of a white Nissan Altima after an abrupt halt in traffic.
Emergency officials said Battle’s ankle was clearly broken but he was conscious. “There was a line of cars and all of them came to a complete stop. Mine was the last,” said Breojia Keil, driver of the Altima. “Two seconds later I felt a jerk and heard a scream. I looked in my right mirror and I saw a man lying on the ground.”
Keil, a sophomore nursing major, was heading to Hempstead to wash her vehicle, nicknamed “Pearl,” when the accident occurred.
“I just stopped and thought ‘Oh my gosh I’ve never been in an accident,'” she said, adding that prior to the accident she had a clean driving record.
According to Keil, Battle also suffered injuries to the lower abdominal area but is recovering.
Joseph King, a Prairie View resident, was the only witness to the accident. King was raking leaves at the Newman Center when the accident occurred. King said Battle was airborne after impact, landed on his neck and part of the motorcycle landed on him.
The rear fender of Keil’s vehicle was damaged upon impact. Battle’s motorcycle also received considerable damage. The left rear view mirror and signal light were disconnected from the vehicle.
“When I was first hit, I didn’t know that I was hit,” Keil said. “I thought I ran over something.”
A small group of observers near Papa Leo’s Barbecue grew as Battle was placed on a gurney, lifted into an EMS vehicle and transported to William’s Chicken where he was life-flighted from the area to Memorial Herman Hospital.
“When I arrived, they were transporting the driver of the motorcycle to a location up the street so they could Life Flight him,” said LeWebster Lacy, junior electrical engineering major. “The driver was shaken up pretty bad and her friends were consoling her.”
Lacy added that there had been an increase in campus traffic related accidents in recent weeks.
“People need to slow down and evaluate their driving decisions. They’re in a big rush to go nowhere,” Lacy said.
Jesse Perry, safety and traffic enforcer for the city, said the accidents were due to driving inattention.
“It’s pertinent that they keep their eyes on the road,” Perry said. “Drivers must be aware of driving conditions on the road. We need more attention and more focus.”