Woman killed by bus identified as Scottish exchange student

Chapel Hill, N.C. — The jogger hit and killed by a Chapel Hill Transit bus Thursday was a University of North Carolina law school student on an exchange program from Scotland, police said Friday.

Lisa Carolyn Moran, 20, of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, was attending UNC's School of Law as part of an exchange program with University of Glasgow, law school Dean Jack Boger said in an e-mail.

"She was an adventurous, bright young lady who wanted to broaden her horizons," Matt Marvin, director of communications for UNC's law school, said. "(She) no doubt, had a bright future ahead of her, which, again, is what makes this such a tragic situation."

Moran was trying to cross the intersection of South Columbia Street and Manning Drive, not far from UNC Hospitals, around 11 a.m. Thursday when the bus struck her. She was taken to UNC Hospitals, where doctors pronounced her dead.

Moran arrived on campus in January and had planned to return to Scotland next week, Boger said. She had made many friends, including many international students, during her few months in Chapel Hill, university officials said.

"They're all over the place," Marvin said. "We tried our best, prior to the news being released by the police, ... to contact her friends."

Grief counselors are available on campus for students, faculty and staff, the school said.

The bus driver was placed on paid leave, pending the outcome of an investigation by campus and Chapel Hill police, said Steve Spade, director of Chapel Hill Transit. That follows standard procedure when a driver is involved in an accident.

Police said they will decide next week if they will file charges.

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Also another thing that is rampant at Chapel Hill is the way in which people with reckless abandonment, just cross the street with no regard to traffic. Yes they do have right of way but no to in peed the flow of traffic.

ewanstvn
May 22, 2008 11:15 a.m.

I think see must have looked the wrong way as she went to cross the street. When I first moved from Scotland I would do it often and also find myself driving on the wrong side of the road. She had not been here very wrong and I'm convinced this is the reason she made such a tragic mistake.

ewanstvn
May 22, 2008 11:11 a.m.

I've walked around downtown Glasgow and the University of Glasgow nearby (my Brother-n-Law's wife was one of those exchange students from the very same university). I can tell you this - if there are crosswalks in Glasgow, people don't use them and I have no recollection of them. Downtown is a mass of people walking this way and that. They have such a good mass transit and urban rail/subway system that few need to drive downtown or near the University. I felt far safer walking along Glasgow streets then than I do when I'm walking along Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.

egnralnc
May 19, 2008 1:48 p.m.

Bottom line; both were probably at fault. The jogger tried to cross... not at a crosswalk, probably didn't see the bus or try to look (why the witnesses were yelling at her). Buses can't stop on a dime, but ALL vehicles on campus should be prepared to stop in preparations for Peds that normally cross outside of crosswalks and other protected areas. Otherwise known as jaywalking.... UNC should bring more cops into the area to enforce this until somebody gets the idea.

gordonbabe
May 19, 2008 12:30 p.m.

Maybe this young lady forgot which direction and lane the traffic flows is in the US just for a split second. I was in London a few years ago on a crowded street corner and someone stepped out in traffic looking the "wrong" and almost got run over. The English say you can spot an American easily downtown, he is the one looking the wrong way for traffic. Just may have been the case here????

GWALLY
May 16, 2008 6:45 p.m.