Senior recovering after November accident

By: Kate Howard
Posted In: Campus News

Life is slowly returning to normal for senior Kimberly Mallozzi after a long break she hadn’t expected last semester.

Mallozzi, an English Communications major, was walking home about 1:30 a.m. with some friends on Nov. 22 when she was hit, crossing the intersection of Dearborn and Thames Streets, by the Nissan SUV of off-duty Newport police officer Jeffrey L. Clark.

According to police reports, Clark “did not realize he had hit someone” and stopped his vehicle when he looked in his rearview mirror and saw a body in the roadway. When asked by an officer if he had been drinking, Clark “stated that he had ‘maybe three drinks,'” according to reports. Mallozzi was talking on her cell phone at the time of the accident; Clark told police he had been checking his phone for missed calls, but reports conflict whether he had already put the phone down or was still looking down at the time of the accident. When Clark stopped his vehicle, he called for a rescue.

After rescue workers brought Mallozzi to the hospital, Clark was given a field sobriety test. Several officers observed the test and although one officer stated Clark lacked smooth pursuit in his eyes during the horizontal gaze test and another stated had a slight sway during the one-leg stand, they felt he performed satisfactorily and he passed all tests, and no Breathalyzer was administered.

No criminal action was taken against Clark. Sgt. Daniel Dvorak, the officer who reconstructed the scene, stated that this was because there was no crime.

“After reconstruction, I couldn’t verify that a crime was committed,” Dvorak said. “Accidents occur, people can be at fault, but that doesn’t mean they are criminally negligent.”

Mallozzi spent a week at Newport Hospital and returned home for Thanksgiving. The next day, she was readmitted and spent three days at University of Massachusetts Worcester Hospital for further testing and consultations. According to crime scene reports, she suffered broken teeth, severe lacerations to her arms, legs and torso, and what appeared to be a tire mark across her back, so she is still meeting with spine doctors and plastic surgeons to repair the damage.

Mallozzi remained at home in Massachusetts to continue recovering through Christmas break, and it was over four weeks before she was able to walk normally.

“We had to get a hospital bed in my house because I couldn’t get up and down the stairs,” Mallozzi remembered. She could not return to Salve last semester to complete her courses, so she was forced to take a few incompletes. Mallozzi’s professors have been instrumental in helping her to graduate on time in May, offering any assistance she needed to complete the work.

She is on schedule to walk with her class in May, thanks to the understanding of staff, friends and the Salve community.

“I finished my incomplete classes within the first two weeks of the semester, and the faculty was so helpful in the healing process because I didn’t have to stress as much,” Mallozzi said.

Mallozzi emphasizes the importance her friends have played in her recovery as well because, while happy to be back, the recent tragedy on campus has forced Kim to realize how lucky she is to be alive and have supportive friends. “As bad as my accident was, I really am lucky to be able to see how many real friends I have and how many people stood by me, and it is amazing,” Mallozzi said. “My friends and I all hold hands when we cross the street now, because we’re all way more cautious. We realize that we really have to appreciate life.”