WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, June 2, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — West Valley City police officers responding to a Wednesday morning crash involving a car and semi-truck were shocked to learn the car’s driver was a 9-year-old girl, and her 4-year-old sister was along for the ride.
West Valley City Police Lt. Sean McCarthy told Gephardt Daily the 9-year-old and her younger sibling took the family’s car and were headed to California, hitting the road well before dawn.
The sisters made it from West Jordan to West Valley City, a distance of about 13 miles, before colliding with the semi about 5:05 a.m. at the intersection of 3200 West and the 2100 South Frontage Road near SR-201.
“Somewhere between Bangerter Highway and SR-201, when they were getting onto SR-201, they sideswiped a pickup truck of some type,” McCarthy said. “The driver of that pickup truck believed they were intoxicated due to their driving and was following them eastbound on SR-201. When they got to the off-ramp for 3200 West and 201, they exited 201 and crossed several lanes of traffic.”
The 9-year-old driver then struck the semi-truck, McCarthy said.
The girls were checked out by the fire department at the scene and McCarthy said the girls’ parents then planned to take them to an area hospital as a precaution.
The semi-truck driver was not injured.
Both girls and the truck driver were wearing their seat belts, police said.
