SU student in critical condition after being struck by truck

A Shippensburg University student was airlifted by helicopter to Penn State Hershey Medical Center Sunday night after being struck by a vehicle in the crosswalk at the intersection of North Earl Street and Lancaster Drive.

The victim, Samuel A. Fritz, was crossing the street by the tennis courts and Bard Townhouses when a white pick-up truck struck him at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Fritz is currently receiving treatment at Hershey Medical Center. Hospital officials said Monday evening that Fritz’s condition was critical.

Earlier Monday, fellow students Jimmy Bailey, Zac Clouse and Mike McCullough, who work with Fritz at campus radio station WSYC, visited him at the hospital. Fritz was conscious and talkative while they were there, McCullough said.

“When you see ICU [Intensive Care Unit], you don’t know what to expect,” McCullough said.

At the moment, Fritz is coping with short-term memory loss and a fractured skull, according to McCullough. Nurses and family have to keep reminding Fritz what occurred. Despite his injuries, Fritz appears to be optimistic, McCullough said.

Fritz is a sophomore communication/journalism major and the music director for WSYC. According to McCullough, Fritz keeps telling the nurses, “I gotta get back to WSYC.”

Matt Trust, public relations director for WSYC, spoke with Fritz on the phone Monday.

“He sounded like himself. He was in good spirits,” Trust said.

Fritz’s parents expect he will need to undergo physical therapy and stay at home for a little while before returning to classes, McCullough said.

Bailey, the general manager of WSYC, sent an email to the station’s officers Monday morning to update them on the accident.

“My heart stopped,” Trust said, describing when he first read the email.

Fritz left the radio station, located in the Ceddia Union Building, around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Trust. One of Fritz’s roommates, Josh Rubin, was with Fritz when the truck hit him, according to McCullough and Trust. Rubin was just a few steps behind Fritz in the crosswalk.

Pennsylvania State Police in Carlisle are investigating the accident, but had not released any information, including the identity of the driver, as of Monday night.