IU employee struck by car, sustains head injury

An assistant administrator for the IU physics department was struck by a car around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Fourth Street and Indiana Avenue.\nJordan Tillet was taken to Bloomington Hospital for her injuries and remained there in stable condition Tuesday evening.\nLaw student Rachel Forde said she witnessed the accident.\n"I was about 50 feet away, and I didn't see where the car came from, but I saw the car screech to a halt," she said.\nFord said Tillett was struck near the front passenger side of the hood and landed on her side in the street next to the car.\nAfter passers-by ran to Tillett's aid and called for help, paramedics took Tillett to Bloomington Hospital. Hospital administrators said Tillett is in stable condition, having suffered a skull fracture. Hospital administrators said Tillet would likely need surgery. \nAt press time the Bloomington Police Department would not comment because the incident report had not been finished.\nIU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger said every year there are reports on vehicle/pedestrian accidents, but not all accidents are necessarily reported. Many times, pedestrians that are involved in minor vehicle accidents don't report them to police.\n"We get about 8 to10 accidents (involving pedestrians and vehicles) every year," Minger said. "The number one cause of vehicle/pedestrian accidents is driver inattention. The number one place where accidents happen (between pedestrians and vehicles) are at intersections," Minger said.\nIU's Commission on Personal Safety office liaison Kasey Drew said pedestrians also need to be aware of their surroundings when crossing the street. There are some basic rules that pedestrians should follow to prevent vehicle/pedestrian accidents from occurring.\n"Use sidewalks where provided and cross or enter streets where it is legal to do so," Drew said. "Where there are no sidewalks provided, it is usually safer to walk facing road traffic"