Car Hits Mother, Children In Crosswalk; Neighbors Say Speeding Is Common Issue

SANDY, Utah — A mother and two children in a stroller were hit by a car in a crosswalk in Sandy shortly after 9 a.m Tuesday at 1853 East Sego Lily Drive. Both children were in stable condition at an area hospital after one of them arrived in critical condition; the mother was released in good condition.

“The first thing I saw walking down on the scene here was this baby stroller, with the wheel axle broken off of it and all you can think of is are they still alive?” said Robert Snow, who lives a short walk from the crash site.

He said he felt sick to his stomach when he followed sirens to the crash. Police said they have not determined whether or not speed was a factor in the crash, but Snow and other neighbors said there’s plenty of it on this 30 mph road.

“Sometimes they’re going by so fast, and even in the middle of the night, it sounds like a speedway,” Snow said. “They definitely need some better patrolling.”

Other neighbors confirmed police do enforce the speed limit, but typically further west, down the hill.

An accident reconstruction team worked for several hours Tuesday to determine exactly what happened. Police said
 the 29-year-old mother was pushing two toddlers in a stroller in a marked pedestrian crosswalk with flashing lights when she was hit by an eastbound driver, who was identified as a 49-year-old woman Monday.

“Don’t know how far they were into the crosswalk, yet. But they were in the crosswalk,” said Sergeant Jason Nielsen with Sandy Police.
 The driver remained at the scene and told police she didn’t see them. Police said they do not suspect drugs or alcohol.

Ken Cochrane lives next to the crosswalk and said this was the worst crash he has seen in 24 years.

“I just hope and pray that that child is going to be OK,” he said.

Cochrane said drivers regularly have close calls with pedestrians in the crosswalk.
 “They are cautious going across the road. But the people don’t really pay attention that much,” he said.

“For a residential area it is fairly heavy traffic,” Nielsen said. “The speed limit is 30 miles-an-hour and we do frequently have officers on this road who are enforcing traffic laws.”

State data showed no previous pedestrian crashes in this area but did show six vehicle crashes over the last five years.
 Flashing lights were added to the crossing sign about a year ago and police said the lights were flashing at the time of the crash.

Officials said the driver of the vehicle had not been cited or charged.