Motorist strikes bicyclist in crosswalk

HURRICANE – A 40-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk Tuesday, prompting police to emphasize the importance of taking extra safety measures in crosswalks.

Around 11:16 a.m., authorities received a call from Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George reporting that a woman was at the hospital to be seen for injuries she received when she was hit by a vehicle while riding a bicycle, Hurricane City Police Sgt. Brandon Buell said.

“So, at that point, the officers started conducting an investigation,” Buell said, “but there was no scene that we could respond to and there was no way for us to be able to verify the information other than just go out and conduct interviews.”

Based on that investigation, Buell said, police learned the collision took place just before 9 a.m. near 1300 S. 700 West in Hurricane and involved a 63-year-old woman driving a Subaru Forester and a 40-year-old woman who was riding a bicycle.

According to statements gathered, Buell said, the vehicle stopped at the stop sign and, in the seconds before proceeding, the woman riding the bicycle rode out across the crosswalk. The driver didn’t see the woman on the bike and proceeded forward, striking the bicyclist and knocking her down.

The woman on the bike went to the hospital to be checked out for a lower-back injury, Buell said.

“Neither of them contacted the police at the time,” Buell said. “We got the call from the hospital so, now, our officers have gone back through and conducted an investigation.”

While Buell said no charges will be filed in regards to this incident, he emphasized the importance of reporting vehicle collisions to the police.

“With some crashes on private property and minor crashes, state statute does allow people to exchange information but we always just recommend that you report it,” Buell said. “If there’s an injury accident, then, obviously, they’re required by statute to report it.”

According to Utah State statute, Buell said, citations may be issued for leaving the scene of a crash or failure to report a crash, among other violations.

Buell also stressed the importance of the person riding a bicycle to make sure they stop when they come to an intersection before going across the crosswalk.

“I would recommend that they get off their bicycle and they walk across the crosswalk. As a rider getting ready to cross, make sure you make eye contact with someone who is driving a vehicle to make sure that you’re seen,” Buell said, adding:

A lot of what we teach the kids at the schools, you know, the importance of making sure they’re seen before they ever go across. Just because it’s a crosswalk doesn’t mean that it’s automatically going to be safe for them to cross – they’ve still got to make sure that they’re seen.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

7 Comments

  • JOSH DALTON December 9, 2015 at 2:57 pm

    I thought riding a bicycle in the crosswalk was illegal. Maybe I am wrong. I just remember back in Georgia they teach us to walk our bikes across the street, or follow the flow of traffic. GO FALCONS!

  • Proud Rebel December 9, 2015 at 2:57 pm

    Well, I don’t see why a bicyclist should walk the bike across the crosswalk. After all, they are usually right out in the middle of the street, running stop signs, ignoring traffic and being a general pain in the…
    Was this woman riding her bike on a sidewalk? If she was, is that even legal? Looks to me like both the driver and the bicyclist should be cited for leaving the scene of an accident.

    • .... December 10, 2015 at 12:46 am

      Oh you mean like automobile driver’s running red lights and stop signs and blocking public sidewalks and driving drunk or under the influence of drugs. Or illegal lane change.not using turn signals.or driving with no insurance or speeding and tail gating and creating accidents.or illegally parking in a handicap spot.or parking in a ” No Parking Zone ” and generally being a pain in the………….look in the mirror !

  • mmsandie December 9, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    Why didn,t they call the police?? Did anyone see it happen, this has happened to m ebut I look both ways before starting the car up, to see IRA gone is coming walking or on a bike.. I was taught to walk the. Ike across the crosswalk too, but people in their area are know for crossing against the light, texting while walking etc..

    • 42214 December 10, 2015 at 11:04 am

      Not everybody drives like you

  • .... December 10, 2015 at 10:34 am

    The only STUPID thing about this article is what Proud Idiot posted ! Oops I meant Rebel ! Yeah yeah that’s what I meant.

  • .... December 10, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    I don’t drive .I just go to the transporter room and Scotty beams me wherever I need to go !

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.