Sodexo worker hit by student vehicle on crosswalk

Rogers Darby, a 57-year-old Sodexo employee, was hit by a student’s car at 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, according to the university police.

They said Sheila Blanchard, a junior from Tallahassee, Florida, was driving east on John M. Long Blvd. According to University Police Chief John McCall, the Sodexo employee was hit at the crosswalk behind Trojan Dining.

John Ford, a sophomore criminal justice major from Tuscaloosa, witnessed the accident.

“I was walking up toward the dining hall to the sound of someone slamming on the breaks, and the guy rolled onto the car,” Ford said.

Ford said that he saw Darby go about 4 feet into the air, and then the victim landed 4 to 5 feet away from the vehicle.

Ford said a passenger in Blanchard’s car called 911. The accident report shows that emergency medical services arrived at 8:50 p.m. to treat Darby.

Medical personnel transported Darby from the scene to Troy Regional Medical Center.

McCall said that the victim was being treated for “bumps and bruises.”