Pedestrian taken to hospital after being struck by vehicle

A Northampton County woman was taken to the hospital for surgery after being struck in downtown State College on Saturday.

According to State College police, officers responded to a pedestrian crash at about 7:40 p.m. at the intersection of South Allen Street and Beaver Avenue, where they discovered a woman in the roadway. The woman, a 23-year-old from Walnutport, complained of head and neck pain and reportedly said she “thought it was safe because the light was red.”

She was taken by EMS to Mount Nittany Medical Center, police said, then to UPMC Altoona for surgery. Police last reported her to be in stable condition.

The driver of the vehicle, Julia Eisele, 19, of Bernardsville, N.J., reportedly told officers that she was “driving a little fast and stated she was trying to beat the light,” police said.

Video footage of the intersection showed that Eisele had been traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on South Allen when she sped up to beat the light at Beaver, police said. The vehicle was “clearly” in the intersection while facing a steady red light.

The pedestrian was crossing South Allen when she was struck by Eisele, police said, and was thrown about 20 feet before landing in the southbound lane.

Eisele was cited for driving at an unsafe speed, police said.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Pedestrian taken to hospital after being struck by vehicle."