Three adults, one child have stabilized after Monday night’s South Salt Lake crash
May 24, 2022, 1:56 PM | Updated: Jun 7, 2022, 4:32 pm
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — A couple and their 1-year-old baby hit by a car while on the sidewalk in South Salt Lake are going to be OK, according to police. Investigators tell KSL the couple has been released from the hospital with minor injuries.
On Monday night, a South Salt Lake car crash sent four people to the hospital, striking three people looking to cross.
It was about 7 p.m. when a GMC pick-up truck was turning northbound on West Temple off 3300 South and collided with a four-door Volvo sedan, which was heading westbound on 3300 South.
“It’s very scary. That’s a busy intersection,” said Deputy Chief Dwayne Ruth with the South Salt Lake Police Department. “Very fortunate, very fortunate everyone’s walking away.”
South Salt Lake Police Department Public Information Officer Danielle Croyle said the 1-year-old was admitted to the hospital Monday night. The child has been upgraded to stable condition and is recovering well.
Croyle said everyone else who was injured had also been upgraded after being transported in critical condition Monday evening.
The baby’s grandmother releasing a statement saying, “We are just praying for the recovery of our family and especially our little granddaughter.”
Police say the couple and their child could have easily been killed and are very fortunate it wasn’t much worse.
A witness to the crash, Larry Kent, recounted what he saw unfold.
“Just the big commotion. Seeing the car drive over onto the sidewalk and seeing a bunch of people running over,” said Kent.
UDOT says everyone on the roads needs to pay extra close attention and care.
“We need to devote all of our attention to the road and focus because that’s so critical. I mean, it’s the one thing that we take for granted every day because we do it so often, but it’s the most dangerous thing many of us do,” said John Gleason, UDOT public relations director.
Ruth said they are still trying to figure out what went wrong. He says they don’t believe impairment was a factor but have not ruled out speed or distraction.
“We are looking at camera’s in the area. We are looking at data each vehicle carries to determine the cause and obviously talking to witnesses,” Ruth said.
Right now auto-pedestrian crashes are a big concern for officials. According to the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah has seen 27 pedestrians killed on Utah roads this year.
“It’s troubling and it’s concerning and it’s something that needs to change,” Gleason said. “What we’ve seen lately is that pedestrians are doing everything right. Unfortunately we’ve seen other people’s decisions behind the wheel making terrible decisions. It’s important for everyone to stay alert.”
Croyle said the crash is still under investigation and no citations have been issued.
