Penn State Student Remains on Life Support After Hit-and-Run in State College, Family Says

A Penn State student who was critically injured in a hit-and-run crash early Saturday morning in State College remains on life support and is expected to be in an intensive care unit for at least a month, according to a GoFundMe campaign established by her family.

Sophia Ruscillo, a 20-year-old student from New York, was walking at the intersection of East Beaver Avenue and South Garner Street at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday when she was struck by a driver.

She was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center then transported to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, where she has not yet opened her eyes, her sister Julia wrote.

Sophia Ruscillo suffered a collapsed lung, skull fracture and brain bleed, according to the GoFundMe. Her family hopes that she can be transferred to a hospital closer to their New York home in the near future.

“Each day is a new day, and each step is progress in her recovery,” Julia Ruscillo wrote. “My family is absolutely devastated. Our hearts are broken.”

The GoFundMe supporting Sophia Ruscillo and her family opened on Monday and has raised more than $28,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.

“If you know Sophia, you know she is full of life, courageous, strong, and a fighter,” Julia Ruscillo wrote. “God is by her side, guiding her through this. Her support system is strong and she is loved by so many. We ask for your thoughts and prayers for our little girl as my family navigates this terrible nightmare.”

The driver involved in the crash left the scene, but police found the located the vehicle and arrested a 33-year-old man, according to a news release on Saturday morning.

The man has not been publicly identified, and charges have not yet been filed. The crash remains under investigation and a police department spokesperson said on Tuesday that he had “no new developments” to report.