‘One-of-a-kind’ faculty pupil dies after being struck by automobile outdoors frat home
A Pennsylvania college student died after being struck by a car while returning from a bar in the early hours of Sunday.
The student, identified as Garrett Nicholas by friends and loved ones, was a junior at West Chester University, which is just outside of Philadelphia. He was a business management major and a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
The crash occurred in front of the fraternity’s house on the 300 block of South High Street, according to a press release from the West Chester Police Department.
The driver was allegedly speeding, according to a friend of Nicholas named Jimmy Kane.
‘He was crossing the street, from this side of the street to that side, and he just didn’t look,’ Kane told NBC Philadelphia. ‘The guy was going so fast. He was going at least 60. It’s a 25 out here.’
Officers responded to the crash around 1.30am before Nicholas was transported by ambulance to Paoli Hospital.
The college junior succumbed to his injuries ‘several hours later’ and died.
The West Chester Police Department added that its crash reconstruction unit is investigating and that the driver of the vehicle has been identified, though that information was not made public.
Garrett Nicholas was a junior majoring in business management at West Chester University and a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He died after being struck by a car in the early hours of Monday
Nicholas was struck in front of the pictured Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity house on the 300 block of South High Street. His friend said the driver was going ‘at least 60’ in a 25
Nicholas was a popular student, and his death has deeply impacted the West Chester University community. A large turnout for his memorial is pictured
It is unclear if the driver who struck Nicholas has been arrested or charged with any crimes.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the West Chester Police Department for comment and additional details.
Nicholas was a deeply popular student, evidenced by the descriptions of him provided by many friends and the huge turnout for his honor walk at the hospital before his organs were donated.
Friends of the junior told NBC Philadelphia that around 100 people attended the event. A memorial at the fraternity house near where Nicholas was struck also had a long line of fellow students paying their respects and laying bouquets.
Nicholas’s friend, Kane, is also president of West Chester University’s Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity chapter, and he set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses and provide Nicholas’s family with financial support.
Kane described his deceased friend as ‘the nicest kid’ to FOX29.
‘It really sucks losing someone that great. I think because of the person he is, it’s so much harder for all of us. Like, why him?’ the fraternity president said.
‘His time here was short, but he definitely played his purpose. He showed all of us how to be a true good, kind person,’ he added.
On the GoFundMe page, Kane further described Garrett as ‘a one-of-a-kind person.’
One of Nicholas’s friends described him as ‘a one-of-a-kind person’ and as ‘the nicest kid.’ Nicholas is pictured (right) with a fraternity brother
There was a large turnout for the honor walk at the hospital where Nicholas died before his organs were donated, and for the memorial at his frat house. A pile of flowers under his memorial photo is pictured
‘Garrett was the kind of person who would give you hope, and watching his actions inspired everyone around him to be kinder,’ Kane continued. ‘We all need to be more like Garrett.’
On Instagram, Nicholas’s fraternity shared a tribute to him that said, ‘His light was contagious, and anyone who was lucky enough to know him knows exactly what that means.’
The post was flooded with support, receiving more than a thousand comments and around 14,000 likes in just one day.
Following Nicholas’s death, West Chester University Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Jasmine Buxton, sent a letter to the campus community expressing grief.
‘We are deeply saddened about this tragedy and know that this news will be hard for a number of those in our Golden Ram family,’ Buxton wrote. ‘We grieve over the loss of our student with their family, friends, and everyone who knew them.’
