Richard “Tony” Parker, a speech communication professor, was the victim of an automobile accident that occurred a little after 4 p.m on Tuesday, Feb. 2 on South Knowles Drive in front of the Performing Arts building.

Kylee Morain, a freshman psychology major, said the accident was initiated when one of the two vehicles involved stopped to let her use the crosswalk.

“The gray car stopped to let me cross the street,” Morain said. “So, [the green Jeep] came up from behind and sped into the gray car.”

Medical personnel transfer an injured man after a car wreck in front of the Performing Arts building on South Knowles Drive Feb. 2. Jennifer Hilderbrand / The Lumberjack

“Seconds after the accident a student rushed to my aid,” Parker said. “He inquired regarding my physical condition, tested my capacity to respond to his questions, called an ambulance and police and — at my request — my wife, and remained by my side until medical personnel arrived. He was my ‘Good Samaritan.’”

Joe Meakem, a sophomore electronic media and film major, was the witness who called the police.

“I was walking by the bus stop with my friend,” Meakem said. “Basically, I saw this guy slow down to let her cross, and that [green Jeep] rear-ended the car, and it was very loud. Then I walked over to see if the driver was hurt. He looked like he was sitting upright… I began to talk to him, and that’s when I called 911, because he didn’t know if he was hurt [or not]. He was carried out on a stretcher… The paramedics were here.”

Having avoided the forward momentum of the gray vehicle into the crosswalk, Morain said she watched as an ambulance arrived to take the Parker away on a stretcher.

Besides Parker, no one else at the scene was injured.

“This poor guy is shaken up right now,” Morain said, referencing the driver of the green Jeep. “But no one else is hurt, besides the guy who has been taken to the hospital.”

According to Lea Parker, Tony Parker’s wife and a professor of environmental communication, Tony has been released from the hospital and is in recovery.

“He suffered a sharp pain in his neck from the impact and therefore was taken to the emergency room where he spent several hours getting X-rays taken,” Lea Parker said.. Fortunately he was not seriously injured and is now home recovering. Your concern is much appreciated.”

The NAU Police Department declined to comment.