COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah, Oct. 16, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — An allegedly impaired driver hit and critically injured a 12-year-old boy in a crosswalk Monday evening.
The boy was using a crosswalk and holding an orange flag in an intersection near 2200 East and Ft. Union Boulevard at about 5 p.m. when he was hit by an eastbound vehicle that failed to stop, Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Gary Young said.
“There were two eastbound vehicles, one in each lane, approaching the crosswalk,” Young told Gephardt Daily. “One vehicle saw the pedestrian getting ready to cross and stopped. The driver closest to the pedestrian didn’t see him and ran over the child in the crosswalk.”
The boy was transported to an area hospital in critical but stable condition, he said.
“The boy did everything right in this case,” Young said. “He was in a crosswalk and using a flag.”
The woman was later arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, police said.
With Halloween approaching and holiday events already underway, Young reminds motorists to pay extra attention to pedestrians.
“Please use more caution this time of year,” he said. “In this case, one driver was able to stop, the other was not.”
