Thursday, 4:30 PM
BU freshman dies crossing Memorial Drive
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
A Boston University freshman died this morning after she crossed Memorial Drive against a red light and was hit by a car, state police said.
The student, a 17-year-old who police did not identify because of her age, was crossing the road at the intersection with Amesbury Street near the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is used by the university for overflow housing.
The student was returning to the hotel at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when a westbound Ford Focus hit her when she stepped off the curb, according to police and students.
The driver of the Ford, Maurizio Aragona, 31, of Belmont, has not been charged but the incident remains under investigation. The traffic light at the intersection was green and Aragona had the right-of-way, police said.
Sophomore Shannon Coughlin was in her sixth floor room in the hotel at 11:30 p.m. when she heard a loud bump followed by screams.
"Call 911! Call 911," Coughlin said she heard out of her window.
Coughlin looked down and said she saw the student lying on the sidewalk with her backpack in the middle of the road. The force the impact had knocked the student out of her shoes, which were scattered in two different directions, Coughlin said.
"It's a big shock," Coughlin said. "Everybody is really upset about it."
