Natalie Nickchen, a 19-year-old FSU student, died Thursday morning after being hit by a car in a pedestrian crosswalk.
The accident happened on West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee. Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) officials say a driver, Ivey Green, 24, ran a red light and struck Nickchen, who was in the pedestrian crosswalk in the 1000 block of West Tennessee. Green will be issued “appropriate citations,” although the State Attorney’s office declined to file criminal charges.
The FSU community was saddened by the news of Nickchen’s death.
“The entire Florida State University family is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our students, Natalie Nickchen, in a tragic accident on Tennessee Street earlier today,” said FSU President John Thrasher in a statement. “Any time we lose a young person at the beginning of a lifetime of promise, it is heartbreaking and profound. Our prayers are with Natalie’s family and friends. I encourage anyone in our community struggling with this loss to reach out for assistance.”
The university’s statement went on to say that FSU’s University Counseling Center is available at 644-TALK (24 hours a day/7 days a week.) Students also can walk in to Counseling anytime between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. M-F without calling.
Unfortunately, Florida is still the deadliest state for pedestrians, with 5,443 deaths in a ten-year span from 2008 to 2017. Orlando is the most dangerous city for pedestrians, with 656 deaths in that period. Older adults are more likely to be hit in a crosswalk or at an intersection than younger ones, although everyone is at risk.