Two Students Killed in Off-Campus Accident

Two Wake Forest University students were fatally injured and four others were hurt late Wednesday night in an automobile accident near the university.

The students, all women, were traveling east on Polo Road when their car collided with a car driven by a man traveling in the opposite direction, according to a Winston-Salem police officer investigating the incident. The collision occurred at 10:34 p.m. at Polo Road’s intersection with Brookwood Drive, about two blocks from the university.

Three students, including the two fatally injured, were taken to N.C. Baptist Hospital for treatment after the accident. The other students were taken to Forsyth Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Killed in the accident were Julie Hansen, 19, of Rockville, Md., and Maia Witzl, 19, of Arlington, Texas.

Early Thursday morning, Aline Iodice, 19, of Pilot Mountain remained in serious but stable condition at Baptist Hospital.

Those taken to Forsyth Hospital included Lea Billmeyer, 19, of North Palm Beach, Fla.; Paige Warren, 19, of New Bern; and the car’s driver, Fiona Penney, 19, of Winston- Salem.

Warren was in stable condition in the intensive care unit, Billmeyer was admitted in satisfactory condition and kept for observation overnight, and Penney was treated and released.

The driver of the second vehicle was also taken to Forsyth Hospital. The police investigator said the driver had been charged with driving while impaired early Thursday morning. The man was alone when the collision occurred.

A team of Wake Forest staff members assembled at the university during the night to meet with students and offer counseling. A crisis support center was set up in Benson University Center. The university’s regularly scheduled chapel service was moved from Davis Chapel to Wait Chapel. It was scheduled to be held at 11 a.m.

Categories: Student, University Announcement