Deadly weekend for pedestrians serves as warning to UCCS students who walk to class

It was a deadly weekend on the roads across Southern Colorado for pedestrians.

Starting Friday morning, a man died after walking into the street on South Tejon. On Saturday, another person died while crossing near Platte Avenue. Come Sunday, a homeless man in Pueblo died at the scene after he was hit by a car, and by nightfall, a victim was struck in Colorado Springs and sent to the hospital.

Near the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus, hundreds of students walk to class, crossing a busy intersection at Austin Bluffs Parkway and Regent Drive. Most of them following the crosswalk rules and don’t chance the oncoming traffic.

Justin Zalewski, a student who walks to class says, “everyone here waits for the crosswalk, maybe we cross at the yellow when we see there are no cars coming.”

This campus knows all too well what’s it like to lose one of their own to an accident. Last year, Zachary Schlagel was killed while walking off of campus. The man convicted of hitting him was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Adrienne Harrison said, “I don’t want that to be me and it easily could be when people aren’t paying attention and they don’t really care.”

The wait at the light between student apartments and campus is a long one, but students say it’s worth saving their lives from a busy intersection.