Hit-and-run on Cameron Avenue sends student to UNC Hospitals

One of the most heavily frequented campus crosswalks was the scene of a hit-and-run Monday that sent one senior to the hospital, leaving witnesses shaken and Cameron Avenue stained with blood.

Senior Rachel Armstrong was injured while walking the crosswalk in front of Davie Hall at about 3:30 p.m.

Armstrong, on her way to a psychology class, was hit by the moving vehicle and carried down the street until she fell off as the car slowed down, said Montserrat Thiele, an assistant research professor in the psychology department who witnessed the incident.

“The car came so fast,” Thiele said, adding that it was driving east away from the Old Well.

Students and professors rallied to assist Armstrong, some dialing 911 as others tried to contact her parents, said Jeannie Loeb, a senior lecturer in the psychology department.

The driver immediately fled the scene, police said.

“I saw the car hit her and then take an immediate right and speed off again,” said freshman Anna Cantwell, who also witnessed the incident.

“I heard a scream and a huge crash.”

Police quickly made progress in locating the vehicle, said Randy Young, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

“The vehicle thought to be involved was found down towards the Outdoor Education Center,” Young said.

Police proceeded to charge Lauren Fredette, born in 1989, with felony hit-and-run, Young said.
Fredette was released in lieu of a $2,500 unsecured bond, Young said.

He added that the investigation is still ongoing, meaning the department could file further charges.

After being hit by the car, Armstrong was immediately transported to UNC Hospitals for treatment.

Myles Bacon, who is a coach on Armstrong’s handball team, said she sustained a broken arm and leg, and was undergoing surgery late Monday night to insert a metal rod into her leg.

Cantwell said she had walked in front of the car at a previous crosswalk.

“I crossed in front of the car and then the person in the car blazed off. I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re going so fast they’re going to hurt someone,’” Cantwell said.

Young said hit-and-run incidents on campus are “fairly rare.”

“We don’t come across them more than once or a year or so, once or twice a year.”

University Editor Andy Thomason contributed reporting.

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.