Car Crashes Into Claverly

A Harvard undergraduate drove his car into a corner of Claverly Hall and was taken to the hospital a little after 10 p.m. last night.

According to witnesses, Andrew G. Sullivan ’06 smashed a light-colored sedan into the residence hall, backed up and then sped down Mt. Auburn and DeWolfe Streets.

Police told one witness that they stopped the vehicle and transported its driver to the hospital to treat a gash to his head.

The Harvard University Police Department would not comment on the incident last night, and details remained unclear.

August R. Dietrich ’06 said he was standing in front of Claverly when a car accelerated out of an illegal parking space and onto the curb. The car paused, then continued and slammed into the building.

“The wheels continued spinning, then he just stopped,” Dietrich said. “His head was down on the wheel and he was bleeding from the forehead.”

The car had at least one blown-out tire and a partially crumpled hood, witnesses said, and the vehicle was smoking.

According to Dietrich, while onlookers called the police, the driver backed up and sped down Mt. Auburn Street.

Alexander T. Ellis ’07 said he was coming back from a study group when he saw a car race down DeWolfe Street.

“He was swerving violently, I was pretty surprised he didn’t hit people on the side,” Ellis said.

According to witnesses, no bystanders were injured in the incident. And no damage to Claverly was visible last night.

Rebecca D. O’Brien ’06, a witness to the crash who is also a Crimson editor, said police told her that they had stopped the car’s driver and taken him to the hospital.

According to several Claverly residents and O’Brien, Sullivan was behind the wheel. Sullivan, who lives in Claverly 02, where the car struck, could not be reached for comment.

Dietrich, Ellis and a number of bystanders described the driver of the car as appearing impaired.

Dietrich said he saw the driver stumbling, and “banging his body against the building” before he got in the car. It was not clear if alcohol was involved in the crash.

—Staff writer Hera A. Abbasi can be reached at abbasi@fas.harvard.edu.