Driver Speaks After Close Call Sends 5-Year-Old Boy To Hospital

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A family sledding trip to the park took a dangerous turn when police said a car slid out of control down Kennedy Drive in Salt Lake City.

“It’s pretty bad. I’m sorry for what happened,” said driver Deqa Kayliye. She was headed out in her Nissan Rogue for some Black Friday shopping when she said, “my car slid, and I couldn’t control it at all.”

The SUV went off the road and sideswiped a parked car at the very moment a family with a young boy was loading up their sleds.

“I didn’t see the kid,” Kayliye said. Officers weren’t sure whether the car hit the 5-year-old boy or if his mother pushed him out of the way. But police said he went to the hospital with only bumps and bruises.

“It’s a scary thing and we’re lucky the child wasn’t injured,” said Lieutenant Hatch with the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Hatch added the driver “was probably driving too fast for the weather conditions.”

This was just one of several incidents on Utah’s roads as hours of heavy snow slowed down the normally fast-paced day for shoppers and others enjoying the holiday.

“This is one of the first storms of the year and it seems like people maybe forget you need to allow more time to brake and stop,” Hatch said.

After the initial crash, Kayliye’s SUV swerved back onto the road, then popped over the opposite curb and into a sign. Another unfortunate reminder, police said, to “be patient, slow down and give yourself plenty of room to stop.”

“I’m sorry what happened and what I cost them. I hope he’s okay,” Kayliye said. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Responding officers cited her for “driving too fast for conditions.”