Another update:

The two rumors are really one and the same, where "on Hearst" means "near Hearst (field or gym)". In any event, there was only the one accident on campus yesterday, and that was the one that took the life of Dr. Zelnik, a very esteemed professor in the history department here. Dr. Zelnik was one of the leading authorities of Soviet Russian history, as well as a key figure in the Free Speech Movement. The staff of CalStuff offers its condolences to his friends and family.

Oakland Tribune Article
UC Berkeley NewsCenter Article

There are some questions that are left unanswered in these stories. Are there going to be criminal charges in this case? While a police presence is expected for an incident like this, there was a very large police contingent surrounding the area, and that would suggest that there may be criminal charges filed of some sort. It seems strange that a professor could be oblivious to a truck moving in reverse, especially with the reverse-warning beeps that all of these trucks are supposed to have.

Even the Daily Californian article, while very raw, had some interesting facts. If you read the eyewitness accounts, it seems like the professor saw the truck coming at him (quickly?) and tried to brace himself before he was pulled under the truck. Then, the truck apparently ran over him a second time?

*** Breaking! ***

There were apparently two automobile accidents this afternoon in the Berkeley area.

The first one occurred, in the mid-afternoon on Hearst, apparently involved a large truck striking a professor from the history department. The professor sustained some substantial injuries, but is expected to recover. UPDATE: This didn't happen.
The second, and more breaking, story is that there seems to have been another accident, involving students, on campus in the South/Wheeler/Moses Hall area at approximately 6:50 PM. A heavy police presence prevented much in the way of collecting information, and further investigation was hindered by the information lockdown from the UCPD. A large number of medical personnel, as well as the use of gurneys, were confirmed by eyewitness reports. All of this suggests that there may have been fatalities, possibly students.

The accidents appear to be unrelated at this time. More details as they emerge.



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