UB student Joel Radicchi of Binghamton was killed on Friday morning in a car accident on Chestnut Ridge Road in Amherst.
According to Paul Fels, a lieutenant with the Amherst Police Department, Radicchi was killed driving eastbound on Chestnut Ridge Road when his 2001 Honda Civic struck a parked car and then crashed into a group of trees.
The accident occurred in front of 4285 Chestnut Ridge Road in Amherst, an apartment complex that houses many undergraduates and post-graduate students.
"Witnesses say the vehicle was driving at a high rate of speed just prior to leaving the roadway," Fels said.
Radicchi, age 22, graduated with a degree in business administration and finance in the spring but was still taking classes with the School of Management this semester.
"(The victim) had to be extracted from the vehicle by Ellicott Creek Fire Company and was transported to DeGraff Hospital by Twin City Ambulance with head injuries," Fels said. Radicchi died at DeGraff Memorial Hospital in North Tonawanda at 3:31 a.m.
According to Fels, Radicchi's seatbelt was not in use at the time of the accident. Whether alcohol or other factors contributed to the accident is still under investigation.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
