Ohio State Attack: Victim Shares Story of Survival

COLUMBUS, OH — For the first time, a victim of Monday's attack at Ohio State University has spoken about their experiences. William Clark, professor emeritus in the materials science engineering program, was struck by Abdul Razak Ali Artan's car when it mounted the curb near Watts Hall. The collision opened two cuts on Clark's leg that were four to five inches long.

He landed on the concrete on the passenger side of the vehicle and didn't see Artan get out of the car with a butcher's knife and begin stabbing pedestrians. He did hear screaming and forced himself up and ran toward Watts Hall.

He says he didn't hear Artan saying or shouting anything during the attack. As he was running, he heard three gunshots, which were likely OSU Police Officer Alan Horujko shooting and killing Artan.

Along with students and colleagues, Clark took shelter in the basement of Watts. That was when he discovered his injuries.

"One of the students pointed out that I was bleeding, and there were bloody footprints in the hall," he said at a press conference on Tuesday. "I was taken from there and transported to OSU Medical Center where I was extremely well looked after."

Clark was released from the hospital Tuesday once swelling on the left side of his body went down and doctors could determine he had not suffered a fracture in either his tibia or fibia. He said that his ribs were particularly sore due to his crash landing on concrete.

See Also

• Full Recap of Monday's Attack
• Police Search for Motive in Stabbing Spree
• Social Media Reacts to Ohio State Shooting

He remained calm throughout most of the press conference, his voice steady and unshaken, until a reporter asked the professor what he would say to Horujko if he were in the room.

"You know, I've been thinking about that. If he was here, I would put my arm around him and tell him he has a lot to cope with. He has to live with this for the rest of his life, but he did the right thing," Clark said with a suddenly heavy tone. "That’s what he was trained to do. Who knows how many other people [Artan] would have hurt?"

Despite being repeatedly asked to speculate on the motive behind Artan's attack, Clark insisted he would wait until all of the facts became clear and there was a complete context for the crime. He said that after serving as a faculty member for 35 years, he knew all too well the situations and circumstances that drive students to behave in ways they would never normally behave.

"I’m sore, but I’m going home this afternoon, and he’s dead. Out of respect for the living and dead, we should wait until we know what the truth is," he said.

When told ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack, Clark responded, "That doesn’t necessarily imply that ISIS was behind the planning. I don’t know if that was the entire story. I don’t know if there were personal or family issues behind this."

Andrew Thomas, OSU's chief medical officer, was also on hand and said that all 11 of Monday's victims are recovering. Only four remain in the hospital, and seven have been discharged.

"The entire university will be changed by this in some ways," Thomas said. "Like any crisis, this will get better over time, but it really gets better because we work together."

Photo from the Fancystatic