Visitation will be held today for an SIUC student who died from injuries suffered in a car accident Monday.
Services for Omar Wilson, a sophomore from Oblong who studied English, will be held today and tomorrow at the Pulliam Funeral Home in Oblong. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today and funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Wilson was killed Monday in a car accident in Makanda. According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Wilson was stopped on his motorcycle at a road maintenance area on Giant City Road just south of Touch of Nature Road. Matthew Knipe, 22, of Carbondale, was driving behind Wilson’s stopped motorcycle and failed to reduce speed and struck the rear of the motorcycle.
According to the release, Wilson and a construction flagman, James Branch, were injured in the crash. Wilson was taken to Carbondale Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, while Branch received treatment by ambulance personnel on the scene. Knipe was not injured in the crash and was issued a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is continuing an investigation on the crash.
The Rev. Bob Gray, university chaplain, said 20 to 30 students joined the family at the hospital Monday to support both Wilson and his brother, Will, a student at John A. Logan College.
“There were a lot of people that were concerned and grieving,” Gray said. “At the same time, (they were) being supportive of Will and of his family when they got here.”
Dean of Students Peter Gitau said a local memorial service would most likely be planned, but not until after the funeral services. Gitau said the university has not always held these types of memorials in the past, which is something he would like to change.
“We (need to) come together as a community,” Gitau said. “We lost one of our own.”
Gray said further details on a local memorial service would depend on what the family and friends want to do after the funeral service Saturday.
“No plans have been made until we talk to the family and the students after the funeral,” Gray said.
Madeleine Leroux can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 254.
