WASHINGTON CITY– A woman on foot was hit by an SUV this afternoon in Washington and was transported to the hospital.
Around 1 p.m., a woman was crossing 3050 East in Washington on the portion of street between Petco and Port of Subs where there is no crosswalk, no signal and no stop signs and where the two shopping centers have ingress and egress to the street.
Witness Kristen Hall said she saw an SUV making a left turn onto 3050 East from the Petco parking lot when it hit the woman.
“She got nailed and went flying,” Hall said, and said the woman impacted the road head-first.
The woman was initially unconscious and was bleeding from her head. However,she did regain consciousness, Hall said, and was alert and responsive with first responders after they arrived at the scene.
The Washington City Police Department diverted traffic around the accident while the woman was tended to. Many vehicles passed through the Albertson’s parking lot.
Ed Kantor, public information officer for the WCPD, said the woman was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The scene was cleared by about 1:40 p.m.
The investigation into the accident is ongoing, Kantor said.
Resources
Utah Motor Vehicle Traffic Codes pertaining to pedestrians begin at 41-6a-1001-1010. To review the code start here at 41-61-1001 and follow the links to the next sections provided at the end of each section.
Editor’s update at 6:20 p.m. Resources added – motor vehicle / pedestrian codes of Utah law – in response to questions arising in response to this report.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MoriKessler
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.
I don’t know why people think they can walk where they want to and not think they are going to get hit. That is a bad corner and almost every-time I’m there, someone is standing in the middle trying to cross over. Drives me nuts when they have kids standing there in the middle of the road.
You and the author are just plain stupid.
The author manages to mention to mention the applicable laws, yet fails to comprehend them.
Whenever there is a intersection, there is a unmarked crosswalk.
When there is a crosswalk marked or unmarked the motorist must yield to the pedestrian. The poor girl was clearly hit at a unmarked crosswalk by a heartless motorist. I hope the motorist received a much needed jail sentence and revocation of license.
Didn’t they move the bus stop from walmart down by d.I. ? If so that is why these people r trying to cross there. There r many reasons why people walk instead of drive, health, vision etc.. I feel lousy for her…things just happen.
There are few streets/intersections as busy as this one, especially at the end of the lunch hour.. What was this idiot thinking? The light is literally feet away!
Good to see that you are concerned about the person who was hit – give your head a shake Idiot! Accidents happen and I am sure you would e the first protesting if it was someone you knew. Think before you post!
Of course people feel bad someone gets injured, but it was her own fault. She was breaking the law, there is a crosswalk right up the street, yes it may have added 5 min to her trip, but i think the hospital and recovery time will be quite longer than that. The person who hit her I am sure feels terrible, though they did nothing wrong, that is a very busy hectic intersection that is hard to get out of, so many things to pay attetion to. If the woman would have died the driver would have felt guilty for possibly the rest of their life knowing they took a life. But if the jaywalker hadn’t been breaking the law none of it would have happened.
There is a law which carries more weight that you are breaking, betty jo, for being a lady thug, and thinking of yourself as “politically correct ” when really, you know nothing. I need not even mention you’re a hypocrite for your constant pandering.
We have created so many traffic laws for the automobile goers through the years due to our growing dependance on the fossil fueled contraptions. For those choosing to go by foot, like our ancestors, are there no rules that combine the 2? Is there really no room for those who choose to go by foot? Is our existence and laws only for those choosing to drive? Should there be a hand book and license required to be a pedestrian? Isn’t there a law that gives pedestrians the right of way?
Just questions and thoughts that have crossed my mind.
Paula
Good questions, Paula – we have added the following at the bottom of the story:
Resources
Utah Motor Vehicle Traffic Codes pertaining to pedestrians begin at 41-6a-1001-1010. To review the code start here at 41-61-1001 and follow the links to the next sections provided at the end of each section.
http://www.le.utah.gov/code/TITLE41/htm/41_06a100100.htm
ST. GEORGE NEWS | STGnews.com
Joyce Kuzmanic
Editor in Chief
Sure there are laws that give pedestrians the right of way. If you are legally in a crosswalk and your light is green, traffic has to wait for you to cross, not cut you off. At a stop sign or stop light you have to stop before entering the cross walk so as not to block pedestrian traffic. Cars can’t drive on the sidewalks, those belong to pedestrians. And so on, BUT just because you walk does not mean that you can walk anywhere you want. Way too many times I have been driving safely (not speeding, not yakking or texting on my phone and a pedestrian stepped right out in front of my car because they didn’t want to walk the 50 feet to the nearest crosswalk or didn’t want to wait for me to pass. I can’t stop a 6500 pound truck on a dime, but the minute you stop putting one foot in front of the other your motion stops.
There is also a law that is supposed to keep people from jaywalking genius. There is a reason that there is a crosswalk fifty feet from where she got hit. It’s her own fault she got hit. I’m sick of all you liberals and your pathetic opinions.
Use the damn cross walk its only 50 feet away i hope
She got some sense knocked into her
Really, come on the poor lady got hit by a truck and taken to the hospital do we really need to call her names. I admit I have jay walked before, I may not have got hit but does that mean I am not an idiot cuz I got lucky and didn’t get hurt. Cant we be nice and instead of calling her names say “wow, I sure am glad she is ok”
Did u get lucky or did u just have common sense to look all ways before crossing….There’s a difference
She’s an idiot and if you or I would have gotten hit we would be idiots too. An idiot, dolt, or dullard is a mentally deficient person, or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way. jaywalking and getting hit by a car is counterproductive. Come on Jennifer you know jaywalking is illegal and so did too, idiots.
She’s an idiot that needs compassion 🙂
I’d like to thank the real first responders who uses their lunch hour to attend to this woman.
To the woman who used her own sweatshirt to attempt to apply pressure to the wound.
To the gentleman who was the first while she was unconscious and remained until the 2nd responders came, and all along he remained talking to her about person,place,time..etc.
The the gentleman that directed traffic for at least 15mins of his lunch break.
And I don’t need any thanks, as I came up before cops and paramedics, but after she was conscious and as a healthcare professional was able to answer the two FIRST RESPONDERS questions and let them know they did a fabulous job.
I felt bad for the woman that was hit but cried when the little old man asked me if she was going to be okay and proceeded to tell me that he was the one who hit her and that it was so busy there he did not see her.
So cheers to the real FIRST RESPONDERS for keeping her alive until paramedics arrived.
Please use crosswalks, even if they are 50 ft away. If this woman had’ve today this incident would’ve been prevented.
Oh and the woman was here on business…I think workman’s comp will chalk it up for her.
Sad..
For all involved.
She’s not from this area..
Hence the reason she jay walked where she did.
She didn’t know..
But we all know what crosswalks are for.
I drive for Fed Ex and I see people do this all the time, and it drives me crazy! I’m a professional Driver and we are trained to watch for this. Unfortunately not everyone is.. Pedestrians may have the law in their hand but not their life..
Paula, there is a thing that gives pedestrians the right of way. It is called a cross walk. Connected to the stop lights is a magic button that when pushed will change the traffic lights and give the pedestrian the go ahead to cross. There are no such magic buttons for those who choose to drive, therefore, pedestrians have a special privilege drives are not given.
*drivers
Hi bob what’s his name,
You sure sound informed of what’s happened more than a thousand times per year in this town : numerous instances of fatalities all because people in this town think they can rush places without paying attention to laws. Having a speed limit is not only a law, but that only fair and safe way to drive. It’s much better to be 15 minutes later than you mistook in your planning than try to pull off burning rubber at the expense of every living creature that crosses your path. Now which of the two comes out of sheer ignorance?
She was clearly in the wrong for one; jay walking on a busy avenue and two; not looking all ways to make sure she could safely cross. Traffic here is not at fault.
Since you sheeple seem to know all, how do you know it was her fault and ONLY her fault? This goes to show how shallow your brain is. Also, you have traits that lead me to believe your quick to blame others over insignificant things. I wonder if any of you ever humble yourselves for once. You don’t deserve the love of anyone, I’m sure that you treat your spouses and children the same as you’ve treated her. What a shame! You will one day have to answer to someone higher
Did you read the story? This situation had nothing to do with speeding, it was a pedestrian crossing a very busy road just a few hundred feet from a signalized intersection with a crosswalk. Cross at your own risk if not at a crosswalk. Also, there is no magical protection for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Many people are hurt while in a crosswalk because they think they have special rights. It’s only a designated place to cross an intersection, you still have to keep your eyes open and watch for distracted drivers. Laying in a hospital bed knowing you had special rights is still not worth it. Pay attention!
I and friends were there when it happened. The woman that was hit was in town for business mtgs and probably isn’t real familiar with streets. We had just had breakfast in IHOP and so was the guy who hit her. He was in some sort of hurry because he wagged his money at the waitress when he wanted to go and when she didn’t see him doing it he threw it on the table and walked out, seemed irritated. Then while outside we see this happen. He was making a left turn onto street where she got hit, I don’t think he saw her at all and she didn’t have time to respond. I will never forget this scene. I was ver scared she wasn’t going to make it, I’m so glad to hear her injuries are not life threatening. I know the driver was very shook up too. He will never forget either I’m sure. I hope he is ok too as he was elderly.
If ur too stupid to cross a busy street without looking both ways first, then u better use a crosswalk or a pedestrian bridge…Oh yea, we don’t have such bridges
I appreciate your point about pedestrian bridges. Washington county is the first county I’ve lived in that doesn’t have such bridges in high foot-traffic areas, especially one like this. Maybe the county/city folks will keep this in mind when discussing improvement and safety projects in the future. I can think of quite a few places where pedestrian bridges are necessary.
nobody really knows what happened that wasn’t right there and come on who the … really has never j-walked some streets crosswalks are pretty near and far if you haven’t you probably don’t walk much or just or plain boring and you need to walk outside the lines a little sometimes. In this particular instance, approaching this intersection I would have personally made the choice to use the crosswalk four lanes and a turning lane is a pretty good spread with traffic. This young lady did not but she obviously didn’t get hit on purpose and belittling her does nothing or at least nothing positive. We should really just be worried how the victims both driver and young lady are.I think they already realize mistakes were made it kinda took their whole afternoon I imagine
Ed. ellipsis
Technically 3050 East is St George, but hey, it’s St George from Washington to Ivins to me…
Technically, most of 3050 E. is in STG. However, this incident took place on the short stretch of 3050 E that is in Washington City. The city boundaries run kind of east-west through that area behind Albertsons, Home Depot and Wally World. Also, technically speaking of course, St George “is” between Ivins and Wash City. Their boundaries actually meet at the east and west end of STG. Good observation.
What I meant, dear, is Washington, Santa Clara and Ivins is all commonly referred to as being St George…:)
If that’s so, Why do they have different names?
How awful for all parties involved. Wishing the woman a speedy recovery. Sounds like that SUV driver was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I love shopping in that area, but hate that intersection!
Area is full of name callers p.s. that’s a sign of an abuser..
I can not believe how insensitive you people are. I work with this woman the “jaywalker” and her injuries were life threating! Her life has now changed forever due to this accident. I have lived in southern utah for 20 years and today i am ashamed to say that. Cant accidents happen without people instantly judging the people involved. Sad for everyone involved, walker, driver, witnesses….. I am praying for all of them.
I am also stunned at all the horrible comments n name calling…. hope ur friend heals..
Thank You its nice to know there are people in this community with some empathy.
Regardless of where she was from, she could most likely see TWO stoplights within easy walking distance from where she was crossing. Whatever town she’s from has the same “guidelines” for crossing the street (read: USE A CROSSWALK). Even kids are taught that if there isn’t a crosswalk nearby, at least cross at an intersection. Drivers always have to bolt out of the Petco and Albertson’s parking lots to get in with moving traffic, and even if the driver was/wasn’t distracted the lady probably would have been hit, simply because she was standing in the middle of the road.
@Jake the FedEx Guy: Are you also trained to stop your truck in the middle of the road, blocking the flow and view of traffic for other drivers? Any time the FedEx driver stops in front of Petco, he/she stops right in front of the store, blocking parked cars in their spot and allowing only one lane of cars to pass around. It is a parking lot, right? With LOTS of open space? Just a thought for a “professional driver”.
i feel bad for this lady and just as bad for the person who has now the traumatic vision of having hit someone…that being said all fault lies to the lady that was hit..and i have noticed that throughout this state that the pedestrians seem to have a level of ignorance/”i dare you to go” mentality the other day while waiting to make a right turn( half a block up from where this story took place ) a man just walk out even though the do not walk signal was lit up oblivious to his surroundings and almost get hit by a truck turning right this older man then had the nerve to shake his fist at the driver in the truck like the driver was the one disobeying a signal and not the other way around…..i myself had a close call i coming off the offramp onto bluff st 2 young men clueless as to the hey here comes a car doing 35 mph i can cross when he is only 15 feet away…yea they jumped back in time but whatis wrong with these ppl …i feel there should be a large fine imposed onto ppl that get hit or almost get hit by their own volition make the normal fine for jaywalking double and getting hit triple it plus the cost of repairing the damages they did to the vehicle that hit them may be going a bit too deep into their pocket but all the traffic forfeitures have gone up only fitting that this fine go up 100%preventable 100% at fault
No matter what the law says, when a pedestrian and a motor vehicle, the pedestrian is going to lose. Therefore, it highly behooves pedestrians to keep their eyes open and walk defensively. Even if a pedestrian is perfectly legal and on a side walk, if a motor vehicle winds up trying to occupy the same space at the same time, for whatever reason, the pedestrian is the loser!
ummm so your saying if a driver texting or is distracted veers onto a side walk and hits a person walking on it the pedestrian is at fault and will lose and get the blame… wow what drugs did you take this morning?
That area is so bad for both jaywalking and traffic accidents, why don’t they just ban all left turns on to 3050 out of both shopping centers, ban all left turns off of 3050 into those shopping centers, reconfigure the entrance/egress accordingly to physically prevent left turns in and out, and put up signed barriers to discourage anyone from jaywalking at those entrance/egress points. To go along with that, make the fines very costly.
I’m sure nobody here has ever jaywalked. I’m sure all of you have never taken a shortcut. This “idiot” as you call her is fighting for her life because an unforgiving and unremorseful man was in a hurry to beat some traffic and hit an innocent woman who today is still fighting for her life! She has a family, was visiting this beautiful town and now her life will never be the same. The shock and horror at the scene will never be erased from my mind but this man who hit her was more worried about how to blame her than he was her health or if she would even recover from her trauma….just because someone is jaywalking does not give anyone the right to run them over! I am praying for her and her family and the man who hit her as well….even if he didn’t need any consoling!
Do you know anything more about her current condition? I posted on the St. George News Facebook page, asking for an update, and haven’t gotten a response. I love St. George News, and read most of what they post, but I must say that using the word “Jaywalker” in the header did not do this woman justice. It put the idea in people’s minds that she was a criminal, before even reading the article. She should have been referred to as “victim”, or at least “pedestrian”. There have been very few people who’ve posted kind words about her in the comments, and it has been a horrific display of cruelty. I wish they could all read what you’ve posted here. Maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to fault the injured woman. Also, St. George News really should post some follow-up information, not just on the woman’s condition, but on the outcome of the investigation, when it is available. They’re losing credibility with me because of their poor wording, and lack of thorough reporting on this incident.
In most cases in the absence of the patient or family providing medical reports, we are limited to information on medical status that may be provided by the police. Due to current patient privacy laws, we are also unable to obtain information regarding the woman’s condition from the hospital. As for the accident itself, the Washington City Police Department told us no one has been cited thus far.
There is still no excuse for ignorance on the part of those who rush to get outside on the roadway simply to try and look good or make it to work on time. If this is your excuse, it may be time to go buy your first planner so you can learn to think and plan before your instincts. This accident is a sad reminder of how careless we’ve become. Don’t think that if your one of those who is constantly blaming and criticizing others for being “wrong ” or “stupid ” that you yourselves will somehow escape the rash of consequences from failure to look yourself squarely in the mirror.
Old people should be retested here….. they dont’ pay attention and look when they make sudden turns…. From what I’ve read from the IHOP diners, the guy was obviously in a hurry and a grumpy old man irritated and left the restaurant angry, impatient pulls out quickly doesn’t look like most of them DON’T do and hits the lady, yeah she was jay walking but alot of these accidents can be prevented here in st george if the drivers here would PAY ATTENTION! My best friend got hit on her bike by an elderly driver, same with my nephew got hit here on his bike by a truck, and my niece….. seriously people pay ATTENTION when you drive here… cuz eventually one of these accidents will turn into a fatality and that is a tragedy in it’s own.
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mat February 27, 2013 at 5:31 am · Reply
ummm so your saying if a driver texting or is distracted veers onto a side walk and hits a person walking on it the pedestrian is at fault and will lose and get the blame… wow what drugs did you take this morning?
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No mat, no way did I say the pedestrian was at fault. I said the pedestrian would LOSE. I’m sorry if you were unable to understand the difference.
Big Don,
Just admit that your one of those hurried drivers that doesn’t pay attention hardly at all when you’re behind the wheel, and usually when you cuss at people and call them names like stupid, its for no apparent reason and a direct consequence because of your readiness to get excitable and angry so quickly. Its no wonder you have no one you have a close relationship with. I doubt if anyone can truly say they love someone like that.
Mat you still don’t get my point. I’m not talking about losing in court. For …’s sake, stop and THINK for a minute, if you are able to. I’m talking about the pedestrian is going to lose any time they tangle with an automobile. Now if you don’t think that being all broken up and in the hospital, or possibly the morgue is not losing, then I guess there is no getting through to you.
Ed. ellipsis
Sweet jude, all I can say is that you are too ignorant for me to waste my time on.
Face it, we live in Utah’s Palm Springs, in other words, A LOT of old retired drivers who need to be revoked form driving or like one said, re-tested to see if they should be allowed to drive. Driving with an old person is as bad or worse than driving wit a teenager!
Yes, I changed my name to compete with Big Don 😛
ROFLMAO! Hey, you probably are bigger than I am.
LOL@bigger bob! Big Don isn’t saying they’ll lose pretty much saying their at fault legally? Meaning if they go to court the driver will always win the pedestrian will always lose, even if their standing on a sidewalk? I’m pretty sure that’s what your saying, and that is incorrect. Only a messed up st george driver would think that, have you not seen judge judy??? lol I’ve seen tons of cases where people get hit by a careless drivers on their bikes, or walking on the side of the road they sue for medical bills and they always win, it’s just that same mentality of st george drivers of why people get hit, they think they won’t get punished and can get away with it so they don’t care as much. In other states yes people that hit other PEOPLE on bikes or walking, with their CARS get prosecuted for some reason we hit them here and most of the time if the driver doesn’t think it’s serious they’ll just drive away…. it’s bullshit!
I feel sorry for the woman that got hit, but face it, she’s an idiot for crossing a busy intersection, there’s a traffic light about a minute’s walk, and she could of just use the stupid traffic light to cross. I go through that intersection all most everyday, and it’s already though enough trying to get through traffic… these jaywalkers are idiots, thinking they are kings of road just because cars stops for them when they cross…they are lucky they don’t live in cities like LA, and Vegas. Point is, you don’t wanna get hit by a vehicle in busy intersection, and end up having a bump in the head, use the damn TRAFFIC LIGHT PEDESTRIAN CROSSING! . Nuff Said.
May karma be visited upon you all.
The elderly gentleman is someone I know….also one who just retook his drivers test a month before. No accidents, no citations….clear driving record. He was in no hurry – just wanted to pay his tab and leave. The staff at IHOP where he eats almost three times a week would vouch for his character, despite his occasional cragginess. He has been worried sick every day since the accident. Since he is not connected “online” he worried day and night as to whether this young lady lived or died. It has been traumatizing for all.
I’m sorry the woman was hit and injured. But, the label “jaywalker” is correct if she was not in a crosswalk at an intersection. That’s just a fact. I hope she is able to heal, and that the driver who hit her is able to as well.
http://www.le.utah.gov/code/TITLE41/htm/41_06a100300.htm
41-6a-1003. Pedestrians yielding right-of-way — Limits on pedestrians.
(1) A pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the roadway.