Two boys in critical condition after being hit while trick-or-treating in Taylorsville
Oct 31, 2021, 8:07 PM | Updated: Nov 1, 2021, 11:13 am
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — Two seventh-grade boys are fighting for their lives after getting hit by a car while trick-or-treating Saturday evening.
KSL’s Garna Mejia spoke with the family of one of the boys.
Spencer Wall’s parents said Sunday that their son was upgraded to critical but stable condition. However, Taylorsville police said the other boy remains in extremely critical condition.
Spencer Wall
From the decorations to going door-to-door for treats, children look forward to Halloween.
“This is the one night a year that we let them go out and they are usually in friend groups on their own. We want them to go have a fun time,” said Darci Piz.
But a tragedy on Oct. 30 hit home for Darci Piz’s family.
“Right now, [we’re] just concerned about the boys and concerned for their well-being and their families. There’s a lot of families in crisis now,” she said.
Across the street from Piz’s house, Taylorsville police say a sedan hit a group of at least four boys.
Two of them narrowly missed the impact, but the other two were critically injured.
Keven Wall’s son, Spencer Wall, is one of the boys at the hospital.
The Wall family.
“He’s starting to respond to commands from the doctor. A lot of swelling on the brain,” Wall said of his 12-year-old son’s condition.
Wall said the boys were at the crosswalk on 2700 West and Matterhorn Drive (6375 South).
They were dressed up as Greasers for Halloween, but they had a flag.
“They were on the east side of the road at the crosswalk and had a flag and started walking across the crosswalk and the car that was heading north stopped for them. There was a car that was heading south on 2700 West who they didn’t see because his lights weren’t on and I guess he didn’t see them,” said Wall.
“First impressions — he was going fast and the headlights weren’t on,” said Piz.
According to Piz, her neighbor’s Ring camera captured a portion of the crash.
“You can basically see in this video that there are cars coming northbound that stop before the crosswalk. You can tell the headlights that have stopped, and then there is a car that comes in southbound into the frame and it appears to be traveling very quickly,” she said.
#UPDATE: Police Chief Cottam says driver is cooperating w/ investigation. Driver & passengers were not injured. Police say call came in around 7:01 p.m. 4 teens, 13-14 yo, were out trick-or-treating for #Halloween when 3 were hit by car. 2 are in critical condition. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/oOVugw1pOv
— Garna Mejia KSL (@GarnaMejiaKSL) October 31, 2021
One of the boys who narrowly missed getting hit also spoke with KSL’s Garna Mejia.
Kyle Nelson, 12, said there were actually six boys in the group of trick-or-treaters.
According to Nelson, the boys got to the crosswalk and waited for cars to stop.
The 12-year-old said they started crossing after they saw a northbound-moving car stop, but the boys did not see the southbound car.
“I think Karl and Spencer, the two that were hit, went the farthest — they were at the front. Karl had the flag,” said Nelson.
Nelson said the incident happened around 7 p.m. and it was not fully dark.
The boys are all in seventh grade, according to Nelson, except for the 10-year-old younger brother of one of the boys.
Piz is concerned the crash could’ve been prevented with better lighting at the crosswalk, as only the east side of 2700 West has street lights.
It’s a matter Piz said she plans on taking up with Taylorsville City Council.
“In my opinion, the crosswalk is not well-lit. There’s one light and it’s just on the east side of the road,” she said. “It’s our job as adults to watch out for these children.”
On Sunday, Taylorsville police said the driver is still cooperating with their ongoing investigation.
GoFundMe* accounts have been set up for both boys:
*KSL-TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
