Police: Boy crossing highway dies; driver ‘didn’t see him until she hit him’

Stock image, St. George News

SEVIER COUNTY — A 10-year-old boy died after being hit by a car while riding his bike near Richfield Thursday evening.

Utah Highway Patrol responded to the incident near mile marker 2 on westbound state Route 119 between the towns of Richfield and Glenwood at 5:36 p.m.

The boy, Harley Howells, of Richfield, was riding home with his 11-year-old brother after finishing chores at nearby horse stalls when they crossed SR-119 from Hepplers Pond Road.

A woman driving a silver 2006 Lexus RX 300 was westbound on SR-119 at the time of the incident.

The incident occurred at dusk when visibility was low and the headlights of eastbound drivers were shining in the eyes of the woman, UHP Trooper Clay Morgan said.

“She didn’t see anything but the headlights, then all the sudden, she hit the boy,” Morgan said. “She didn’t even see him until she hit him.”

An ambulance crew from Richfield EMS transported Harley to the hospital where he died.

The boy’s brother, who had been ahead of Harley on the road, was not injured, Morgan said.

We haven’t concluded the investigation yet,” Morgan told St. George News Friday, adding that the completed findings of the investigation will be handed over to the Sevier County attorney to determine what – if any – citation is issued to the driver.

Emergency responders from Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Richfield City Police Department and Richfield Fire Department also responded to the incident.

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

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • ladybugavenger December 16, 2017 at 6:58 am

    The whole thing is just sad. Condolences to everyone involved and their families. It’s an awful awful tragedy.

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