According to news reports, a 6-year old crossing the street with her 8-year old sister, was killed by an SUV at the intersection of 200 East and 800 North in Spanish Fork, Utah. The accident happened on Saturday, December 20, 2008, around 1:30 p.m. According to a witness, the children were standing on the street waiting to cross and then they ran to cross the street. A 35-year old woman from Springville was the driver of the striking vehicle and was said to be going between 25-30 mph when her car struck the young child. Police attempted to revive the child at the scene and the girl was taken to Payson Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
To lose a 6-year old is tragic. I have lost a young child and I know how absolutely gut-wrenching it can be. My prayers go out to the family of this lost little one.
In Utah, a pedestrian can cross anywhere there is an intersection, unless there are signs prohibiting it or it cannot be done so safely. The story didn’t mention if this was a marked crosswalk or not. In Utah, a child is held to a different standard and is not expected to appreciate the dangers of approaching cars, as a teenager might be. Motorists seeing small children by the side of the road must exercise great care in case that child starts into the street.
In this case, the crash happened in the afternoon when there was good light. While there is no evidence to show that this driver did anything wrong, it would be wise to investigate this tragic pedestrian accident to see whether this accident was avoidable or not. I would recommend that the family get the police report and visit with a Utah personal injury attorney to review the facts involved in this case.
Published by: Ron Kramer
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