A rush-hour pedestrian accident in midtown sent a man to the hospital this morning. The incident appears to have occurred around 8am when a bronze Chevy Tahoe struck the man as the eastbound vehicle was making a right turn from University Avenue to Jefferson Park Avenue.

At the intersection, officer G.A. Ames directed traffic around the accident. The victim, braced with orange supports around his head, appeared to be answering questions posed by members of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad and was transported at 8:15am.

The driver of the vehicle, a college-age woman, did not appear to be injured. After conferring with a police officer, she drove the vehicle, which bore New Jersey license plates, away from the scene.

At the time of the incident, direct low-level sunlight was beaming directly toward the driver, while the crosswalk on JPA was shrouded in shadow. Police have not released any information about the accident, including the severity of the victim’s injuries, whether the victim was in the crosswalk, or whether charges will be filed against the driver.

Update: Because a preliminary police investigation indicates the that the victim, 23-year-old Ethan Gruber, was in the crosswalk at the time of the accident, a failure to yield charge will be levied against the driver, UVA student Amanda Bagwill, says Charlottesville Police Sergeant Richard Hudson.

“I would just caution all drivers in the crowded parts of the city to be conscious of pedestrians in the crosswalk,” said Hudson, who indicated that as of this morning Bagwill, 21, had not yet been served with the summons.

The victim works for the UVA library system as a digital image specialist, according to virginia.edu, and according to UVA Hospital he is no longer a patient. Neither he nor Bagwill immediately responded to emailed inquiries. –update posted 1:25pm 2/27/07

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