A man was pronounced dead on campus Monday afternoon after crashing his car into a tree by the Student Center Parking Deck. After declining to identify the man Monday, police identified him Tuesday as 65-year-old Danny Clay Hartley.
Hartley was slumped over at the wheel of a silver sedan at the intersection of Campus Drive and McCorvey Drive by the Student Center just before 2 p.m. Monday. His car was stopped at the intersection facing down Campus Drive, blocking other drivers, who began honking at him. His car then continued down Campus Drive at low speed until it swerved off the road and crashed into a tree next to the parking deck.
Stephanie Taylor, a spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said in an update provided Tuesday that investigators from the TPD Traffic Homicide Unit believe Hartley’s death was caused by a “sudden medical event” that occurred moments before the crash. She said that Hartley was unaffiliated with the University.
Students immediately gathered around the car to view the accident. Taylor said TPD, along with the University of Alabama Police Department, responded at 1:56 p.m. to 911 calls about the accident. The Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue also responded to the scene.
A UAPD officer arrived at the scene first and began smashing Hartley’s window to remove him from the car before performing chest compressions with another officer on the ground.
“When he was pulled out, he was super unresponsive and not a great color,” said Carl Bitney, a freshman business management major who got to the scene just after the crash.
Responders attempted life-saving measures but pronounced Hartley dead at the scene, Taylor said. She said Monday that the TPD Traffic Homicide Unit was investigating the circumstances behind the crash.
A spokesperson for UAPD deferred a request for comment to Taylor. Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
