An Ohio University international student walking down the Richland Avenue Bridge died Saturday night when he was apparently hit by a sport utility vehicle and thrown into the Hocking River.
The SUV was part of a two-vehicle collision at Richland Avenue and Route 682 that happened around 11:20 p.m. on Saturday, Lt. Randy Gray of the Athens Police Department, said.
Police found the body of Abhishek Singh, a 22-year-old graduate student from India ' nearly 14 hours after the accident ' in the Hocking River on Sunday at about 3:25 p.m.
Police officers were at the accident scene on Saturday night, but the drivers did not report that a pedestrian had been hit, Gray said.
No one had any idea [a pedestrian had been hit] until after we found the body
he added.
On Sunday, however, people on the bike path along the Hocking River noticed what resembled a body in the river and notified the Ohio University Police Department who later contacted the Athens Police Department, Gray said.
The initial accident occurred when April Hankinson, 26, of Athens, traveling northbound on Richland Avenue in her Ford Explorer, ran a red light at Route 682, Gray said.
Hankinson's vehicle was hit by a Subaru LGX compact traveling eastbound on U.S. Route 682, Gray said. The eastbound vehicle's driver was Naomi Bell, 45, of Ravenswood, W.Va. Hankinson's car careened into Signh, knocking him off the bridge, Gray said.
Hankinson and Bell were taken to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital, 55 Hospital Drive, for minor injuries and were released, Gray said.
Police have a blood sample from Hankinson and will determine if she had alcohol in her blood, Gray said. He did not say if alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Once the crash's investigation is complete, the prosecutor's office will review the evidence and decide if charges will be filed, Gray said.
Singh had been attending Ohio University since Fall 2006, said Arihant Karnawat, spokesman for the Indian Student Association at Ohio University. Singh was working on his doctorate in physics and was a member of the Indian Students Association.
Signh's roommate, Sunny Mishra, also a graduate student from India, said Signh had lived with him and two other students since January 2007.
Mishra said Singh's father, who is living outside the United States, was informed of his death by Terry Hogan, the university's dean of students. 17
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Christa Gould
Police say he was knocked off bridge in an accident the night before
