Auto Strikes Pedestrians

Four people were injured in a crash last night when a car struck a stone and ironwork fence in front of Kirkland House.

The gray 1979 Toyota Corolla, which was heading southeast on Eliot Street, speeded across JFK Street at approximately 7:37 p.m. and hit the fence separating Kirkland House from JFK Street, pinning two female pedestrians between the car and the fence.

One pedestrian was in fair condition last night at Mass. General Hospital, where the driver was listed in serious condition, according to hospital spokesperson Wendy A. Maparazzo. The other two women were taken to Beth Israel Hospital, she said.

The two pedestrians suffered "severe crushing injuries to the legs," while the car's driver and passenger had head lacerations and leg injuries, Deputy Chief Gerald Reardon of the Cambridge Fire Department said at the scene of the accident.

Harvard Police Lieutenant John E. Stanton reported that witnesses on the scene had identified the pedestrians as employees of the Harvard Business School. The names of those involved in the accident were unavailable at press time.

Reardon attributed the crash to "high rate of speed," but said the reason the car was going so fast was not immediately known.

Indeed, the wheels on the car were perfectly straight, according to Danny Passman '97, a Kirkland resident who visited the crash site.

Harvard's Robert J. Kotowski, the first police officer to respond to the accident, said he saw the car on the sidewalk.

"The car was up on the fence, and two people were trapped under the fence with two in the car," Kotowski said.

A group of passersby was trying to pull the two pedestrians from beneath the fence when he and Officer Robert Sweetland arrived, Kotowski said.

According to Kotowski, the injured pedestrians looked as if they could be students. One of the women was carrying a bag filled with art supplies.

The square stone pylon top from the fence was still embedded in the car's windshield as the police towed the vehicle away.

Students in Kirkland House's B and C entryways heard the noise from the crash as the car's front end crumpled into the fence.

"It sounded like a multi-car collision. There were screams, and somebody yelled, 'Call 911,'" said Michael P. Dybbs '97, a Kirkland resident.

Natasha R. Cupp '98, who also lives in Kirkland, said she "felt the building shake" with the force of the crash.

"I could smell the burning rubber. The pedestrians were yelling to get the car off them," said Kara L. Dwyer '98, who watched the accident from her Kirkland window.

Although firefighters were standing ready with hoses as rescue workers treated the injured women, no fire broke out, and Kirkland House residents were not in danger, Reardon said.

In response to the crash, emergency vehicles blocked off Mass. Ave. between Memorial Drive and Harvard Square.

Five ambulances, two rescue fire trucks, a fire engine and a ladder engine were on the scene, as well as numerous police cruisers.

The collision toppled 25 feet of historic ironwork fence and stone pylons.

The pylons were expected to be removed from the brick sidewalk after the University's Environmental Health and Safety division had inspected the site for bodily fluids, according to Roger Baker, a Harvard Facilities Maintenance and Operations worker at the crash site.

Replacing the fence, which is thought to date to the construction of Kirkland House's Smith Hall in 1914, could cost the University $20,000 if the stones can be salvaged, Baker said

Although firefighters were standing ready with hoses as rescue workers treated the injured women, no fire broke out, and Kirkland House residents were not in danger, Reardon said.

In response to the crash, emergency vehicles blocked off Mass. Ave. between Memorial Drive and Harvard Square.

Five ambulances, two rescue fire trucks, a fire engine and a ladder engine were on the scene, as well as numerous police cruisers.

The collision toppled 25 feet of historic ironwork fence and stone pylons.

The pylons were expected to be removed from the brick sidewalk after the University's Environmental Health and Safety division had inspected the site for bodily fluids, according to Roger Baker, a Harvard Facilities Maintenance and Operations worker at the crash site.

Replacing the fence, which is thought to date to the construction of Kirkland House's Smith Hall in 1914, could cost the University $20,000 if the stones can be salvaged, Baker said