Reynolds students were buzzing with shock on Wednesday, October 21st after a car crashed into the tunnel to the gym on Northwest Boulevard.
The car hit the metal overhang for the tunnel and then dangling from the railing. No one was injured in the accident, but a toddler was rescued from the suspended vehicle by Winston-Salem Police Officer Travis McFadden.
Officer McFadden was quoted in the October 23rd edition of the Winston-Salem Journal saying, “I was just doing my job.”
Various accounts of the story have been told, but according to the police report, an object was caught on the accelerator and as the driver went to fix it, he swerved across Northwest Blvd. and drove into the tunnel. The vehicle was still running, presenting an urgent circumstance to rescue the toddler. Officer McFadden forced the door open, grabbed the baby with his left hand and unlocked the car seat with his right hand. He managed to get the child back safely to her father, the driver of the vehicle.
“It was really scary to think about if it was a little bit later,” sophomore Richard Dull said. “They could’ve hit a student coming off the bus lot or someone in the tunnel.”
The accident did minimal damage to the tunnel, only denting the railing and overhang slightly.
“They got really lucky because no one was hurt and they didn’t fall into the tunnel because that could’ve been a really messy situation,” junior Sophie Carpenter said.
The situation was quite fortunate accounting for all that could’ve and would’ve been associated with the story.
“I find it really pathetic that something got caught on the gas pedal while he was driving,” sophomore Davis Huff said. “I’m just really glad that no one was injured in the accident.”
Many pictures of the accident showed up on different social media platforms with multiple Snapchat stories and Instagram photos of the car dangling came from Reynolds students. The walk from main campus over to the gymnasium will now be changed for many students for years to come.
“I walk under the tunnel every other day, twice a day.” Huff said. “It really makes you think about the idea of cars driving over your head (while in the tunnel).”
This truly emphasizes the need for a tunnel, with the dangers of students crossing the road unsupervised. The tunnel protects us from reckless driving and the accidents that could turn into a tragedies.