Stony Brook student hit by university police car

A Stony Brook University student walking on a campus sidewalk was struck by and pinned beneath a university Police Department car Thursday night when the driver, a police officer, lost control of the vehicle while responding to a 911 emergency call, a campus official said.

The victim was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital and was listed in fair condition, Robert J. Lenahan, chief of police and assistant vice president for campus safety at Stony Brook University, said Friday morning in a prepared statement.

The accident took place at 10:12 p.m. when the car "accidentally struck a student pedestrian who was on a south side walkway of Circle Road, west of Engineering Drive," Lenahan said.

"According to eyewitness reports, the responding vehicle was traveling with its emergency lights activated when it struck a sidewalk which caused it to veer onto the opposite walkway, subsequently striking the student pedestrian," the police chief said.

Witnesses told the police that the vehicle "continued down an embankment and the pedestrian became lodged underneath the vehicle," Lenahan said.

The officer immediately called for assistance and emergency personnel responded, he said. The officer was found to have minor injuries, and was treated and released.

Campus police investigators were still in the process of gathering evidence and talking to witnesses, the chief said.

The university did not respond Friday to requests for further details on the accident.