Driver charged after UNC-CH student, dog hit while crossing street

Sinclair Larson was hit while crossing in a marked crosswalk on East Franklin Street at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

"I am pretty grateful that I don't really remember it, honestly, so I guess it's probably for the best," Larson said Tuesday.

Nicholas Boyd, 46, of Durham, is charged with failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Dan Reuland, who lives nearby, said he heard the accident.

"[There] was a young lady who was clearly injured in the road, and the dog had been knocked further up the road," described Reuland.

He said Franklin Street has a lot of hills and curves, and it can become dangerous at night.

Larson was taken to UNC Medical Center with broken ribs and head and face fractures. Her dog, Jasper, was taken to an emergency veterinary clinic in Durham with a hole in his lung and blood in his abdomen.

"They told us that, if it wasn't for the Reed family across the street taking him to the vet as soon as possible, that he would have not made it. He was taken to the vet before an ambulance even came for me," said Larson.

"He came to the right place. We have dedicated doctors on staff at night that could take care of him. WE had a lot of support staff for him as well, so we are in a really good position to give him the critical care that he need to make it, to survive," said Dr. Jeffrey Nunez, with Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital where Jasper was taken.

Larson added that she walks the same route every day – sometimes three times a day. She said she never could have imagined getting hit by a car, but she's grateful to be alive.

"I am very thankful that I am here and I'm able to have a chance to continue living because I know I have a lot left to do in my life," she said.

Larson and Jasper have since been released from their respective medical treatment centers and are on the way back to Charlotte to continue recovering.