Last Friday, Bridgewater student Madison Neas was struck by a vehicle as she was crossing Plymouth Street/Rt.104. The incident occurred around 1:00 pm and police and fire officials reported her injuries to be serious. The driver was described by police to have been a 71- year old man in a red Ford pickup truck. Madison was med flighted to a Boston hospital where she remains in critical condition. She is faced with internal injuries such as a broken femur that was temporarily fixed as well as bleeding and swelling in her brain.

In an email sent to the entire student body, B.S.U. police officers and staff within student involvement relayed messages from Maddie’s family. Maddie’s mother is reaching out to the B.S.U. community to ask that we keep Madison in our thoughts and prayers. This Friday, November 22nd is Maddie’s birthday. If you would like to wish Maddie a happy birthday or give her words of encouragement, you can bring birthday cards, positive notes, and hopes for a speedy recovery to the Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, 106 Boyden Hall by Thursday, November 21st at 5:00 pm. President Clark and Vice President Joseph A. Oravecz will be personally delivering these notes to Maddie and her family when they visit her later this week.

In addition, a family member of Madison has created a GoFundMe page to help pay for her medical bills. Samantha Beckman, Maddie’s cousin and organizer of the fundraiser wrote, “We are asking for prayers and any donations that could help our family during this time. Maddie is such a sweet girl and we know she would be so appreciative of all the support she is already getting. The smallest amount can go a long way. We all love you Maddie, you got this!” Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/madison-neas.

It is absolutely tragic that one of our fellow bears is suffering this nightmare. It is with our deepest sympathy that we extend our condolences for the trauma and heartbreak that Madison and her family have endured this past week. No student should have to fear for the safety of their own life when walking through campus. Let’s continue to stay positive for Madison and her family as we empathize with what we can only try to imagine they are going through. We are rooting for you Maddie, keep on fighting!