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SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah, Dec. 27, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Police are at the scene of a fatal auto-pedestrian accident Friday night, the third auto-ped crash that South Salt Lake has seen in as many days.
Executive Officer Gary Keller, with the South Salt Lake Police Department, said the accident occurred at about 7 p.m. as a 67-year-old man, who was staying at the nearby resource center, was crossing 3300 South.
“He was halfway across the road and was struck by a passenger car driven by a female, approximately 20 years old,” Keller said. The driver of the car stopped and remained at the scene.
The injured man was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An unrelated, secondary crash happened shortly after, Keller said, when a vehicle came along and “they were looking at the accident and not paying attention.” There were no known injuries in the secondary crash.
Keller referred to this auto-pedestrian accident as “yet another one, the second one today.”
The earlier auto-ped incident happened at about 6:30 a.m. near the Trax line, he said. The 29-year-old individual was crossing at 200 West and 3200 South and was hit by a westbound pickup truck. He was transported to the hospital with a possible broken leg and cuts to the head.
Police are becoming frustrated with people risking their lives by crossing in the middle of the block instead of 100 yards away where there is a traffic light.
On Christmas Day, there was an auto-pedestrian crash at about 10:30 p.m., involving a man in a wheelchair.
“He was pushing himself down 300 West and about 3400 South in the middle of the roadway,” Keller said. “He was struck by a pickup truck.”
That man is still in the hospital in critical condition.
On Nov. 26, there was a fatal auto-pedestrian crash in the middle of the block at about 950 W. 3300 South.
Keller was on scene at that accident and said it occurred in a section of six-lane 3300 South, where the lighting is low and traffic is moving at 45 miles an hour.
“If the pedestrian had just gone half a block over to the crosswalk and the traffic light, he would still be here,” Keller said at that time.
Regarding the latest incident on Friday near the resource center, Keller said, “When it was set up, it wasn’t expected that people would be crossing here. These are grown-ups, not little kids. You would think they’d know better.”
He also wants drivers to be aware that this incident is still under investigation by the major accident team and they will be on scene for “a couple more hours.” Drivers should avoid the area.
Keller is asking that everyone keep in mind that “we have a problem in this area, and slow down and watch for anything on this (3300 South) roadway.”
“We were in the process (of working) with the resource center to train these individuals when they come there — we’re printing up flyers to tell them where they should cross so they’ll be safe.”
He added that police will be cracking down and enforcing pedestrian traffic laws, citing jaywalkers, all along 3300 South, because “it’s getting out of control.”
