JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Leah Grace Tarvin, 22, was critically injured Wednesday near the Jacksonville State University (JSU) campus. Tarvin, a graduate of Holly Pond High School and current student at JSU, was struck by a vehicle at a crosswalk on Highway 22 near JSU’s Brewer Hall. She was flown to UAB Hospital in Birmingham by helicopter.
Tarvin is reported to be in critical condition. No other details have been confirmed.
Tarvin’s mother, Cindy Thomas Tarvin, posted to social media, asking for prayers for her daughter: “PLEASE I’m asking for prayers & a great miracle for my baby girl Leah Grace Tarvin.”
The Jacksonville Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident, with technical assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Jacksonville Police Chief Marcus Wood shared, “We’re still in the gathering information and evidence stage. These investigations can be complex. So, we are trying to collect phone information, camera information from nearby buildings that may have camera footage. ALEA Traffic Homicide Investigations Unit out of the Jacksonville post is assisting with diagramming. There’s a lot of things that we are trying to gather and get information from just so we have a clear picture of what we’re dealing with and how to proceed when we start to talk on if the driver gets charged and if they do, what kind of charges will there be.”
JSU posted the following to its Facebook page Thursday afternoon:
A statement from President Killingsworth:
Pedestrian accidents like the one that occurred Wednesday evening have, unfortunately, become all too common at JSU. For decades, members of the JSU community have been injured or even killed while crossing the two state highways that intersect our campus. We have already had four pedestrians injured in three accidents on these roadways this year.
Since Highways 21 and 204 are state-controlled, it limits the university and city’s ability to make improvements to keep our community safe. Representatives from the university and the City of Jacksonville have met with the Alabama Department of Transportation as recently as March to request their assistance, but were told the crash data does not warrant any additional precautions. We have already reached out, once again, for assistance.
As you continue to keep Leah Tarvin and her family in your prayers, we ask that you also consider voicing your concerns to ALDOT at https://www.dot.state.al.us/reportaconcern.html. This is a heartbreaking situation, and the university will continue to fight to protect our community.
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