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Russell Hollister, a junior student whose social media pages show he hails from Denville, NJ, was struck by a 2021 Mazda CX-5 traveling south in the 200 block of City Avenue in Philadelphia at 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, as Lower Merion Township police told Daily Voice.
Hollister was crossing the "midblock from the west to the east side of City Avenue," Operations Commander Captain Eugene J. Pasternak wrote in a release.
He "sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash and was immediately transported to Lankenau Hospital by Narberth Ambulance, where he remains in critical condition," according to Captain Pasternak.
City Avenue was closed between Raynham Road and Oakland Terrace for around four hours during the crash investigation, and reopened at 12:11 a.m., as Daily Voice previously reported.
The driver of the Mazda remained on the scene. This incident remains under active investigation by the Lower Merion Township Police Traffic Safety Unit.
Russell was walking to his apartment after class when he was struck, according to Christine Lorge who organized the GoFundMe for the Hollister family.
Russell's family requires assistance with lodging and meals in addition to help with the medical expenses, as they continue to stay close to the hospital while Russell remains in critical condition.
Lorge wrote the following in an update on Saturday, Sept. 28:
"Russell continues to fight….while still in critical condition, he has made progress in small steps which is all that we can ask. The treatment he is receiving at Thomas Jefferson has been amazing. The surgery to alleviate pressure from brain swelling continues to help; he has increased his breathing strength, and today demonstrated that he can respond to a request to move a finger or toe.""Small steps forward on a long journey. Thank you for your continued prayers."
His community is rallying for him raising over $46,000 as of Monday, Sept. 30.
One of those donations came from Russell's freshman-year Resident Assistant, Ian Rowe-Nicholls, who wrote:
"I was Russ’s RA his freshman year. He has a great heart and genuinely cares about doing the right thing and treating others well. Sending him and his family the best of wishes right now."
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.
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