A well respected nursing instructor at Dona Ana Community College has passed away after being struck by a vehicle on New Mexico State's campus.

53-year-old Lucy Sandoval was crossing a street on the NMSU campus when she was hit by a 22-year-old driver named Catherine Parra.

Sandoval spent several days in the hospital with severe head injuries and a collapsed long, but was unable to recover from her injuries.

Friends and family remember Sandoval as a loving, affectionate woman, always looking out for the best interests of her family and her nursing students.

"I can't imagine what that family is going through, losing such a wonderful person", said Dr. Earl Nissen.

"Lucy was probably one of the giants, to me, in honesty, integrity, and professionalism", he added.

Nissen is an assistant professor at Dona Ana Community College who knew Sandoval well.

"I just could not believe that it happened right on our own campus where everyone knows about the crosswalks and there's signs all over the place, and that she had to meet up with a car like that and end up dying," Nissen said.

Sandoval was well known for supporting her nursing students after DACC's nursing program lost its national accreditation.

"I actually talked to her the day before she was hit, she was talking about some of the debates she was having with the administration," Nissen said.

"She was a very spiritual person, she would go out for walks to think about her students and life, and that's what she was doing, she was out on one of those daily walks," he added.

KFOX14 spoke with Sandoval's brother in law at the site of the accident. He stated that the family is still in shock, and that the last time he had seen her was on Christmas.

Sandoval was also a mother.

It is unclear whether or not Parra, the driver, will face criminal charges. She previously told police that she remembers looking down at her radio, and the next second, her car hit Sandoval.