A university student was struck and killed by a pickup truck while crossing Robert Crain Highway in Crofton, Md., at about 11 p.m. Friday, according to a police report.
Police identified the student as freshman Kristen Meske, who was struck along with 18-year-old Alexandra Singer, who is not a university student. The two were crossing the highway with two friends to reach a McDonald’s when they were hit, said Meske’s uncle, Ron Schwartz, who spoke with police after the accident.
The two women were flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where Meske was pronounced dead at 2:52 a.m. Saturday. Singer was listed in “critical but stable” condition Saturday, according to the Anne Arundel County police report.
A preliminary investigation found Meske and Singer responsible for the accident, but the investigation is ongoing. Police said in the report they do not believe the vehicle’s speed or substance abuse were contributing factors.
Police could not be reached for comment over the weekend.
Meske, a Howard County resident, suffered a direct hit when she was struck by the pickup, while Singer was deflected off to the right side of the truck, into the next lane.
Schwartz said the two other friends crossing the road were not injured. One had made it safely across the highway and another had yet to cross, he said. Their identities were unknown, but Meske’s friends on the fifth floor of Ellicott Hall said she was visiting friends from high school.
The loss has saddened many girls on Meske’s floor, all of whom said they remember her as a compassionate friend with an unwavering sarcastic wit and carefree personality.
“I loved Kristen because she was so open-minded and accepting of anyone. I think we bonded so quickly because she just let me be myself,” said her roommate, freshman letters and sciences major Julie Markowitz, in an e-mail. “As a friend, she had a transparent sincerity, and you’d find yourself spilling your heart and soul to her because she earnestly cared about your life and what you had to say.”
Markowitz fondly remembers a night when she and Meske were dancing on their dorm beds and Markowitz hit her head on the ceiling. Meske couldn’t stop laughing, Markowitz said.
“I had the most fun dancing with her because she never judged your moves, so we could just go wild,” she said.
Though Meske’s friends and family remember her bright smile and sense of humor, Schwartz said few were fortunate enough to experience them. He said Meske was generally shy to those outside her close circle of friends.
“She’s not a person that would walk on the sunny side of life, but she was, at the core, sweet,” Schwartz said. “She was soft and sweet and loving, but a hard nut to crack.”
Meske was also a diligent student whose nearly flawless high school academic record earned her a Dean’s Scholarship and a post in the university’s prestigious Gemstone program, Schwartz said.
Though she entered the university as a computer science and mathematics major, Schwartz said Meske was switching to economics. Her affinity for math was matched by her mature writing style and quick grasp of languages, he added. Meske had taken up German her senior year of high school and was nearly fluent, he said.
“She’s an incredibly well-rounded person from an academic point of view,” he said.
Funeral arrangements will be announced today, family members said.
Staff writer Allison Stice contributed to this report. Contact reporter Steven Overly at overlydbk@gmail.com.
