ST. GEORGE — At around 6:30 p.m., residents in the southwest corner of Washington City saw their neighborhood transform into a crime scene as police, firefighters and paramedics arrived in force to respond to reports of an auto-pedestrian collision.
Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams said a small boy riding a scooter on Treasure Valley Road was hit by a gray Nissan sedan as it turned right from 435 East.
Police arrived to find the boy in the road with the vehicle that had struck him stopped less than 100 feet away. Paramedics with Gold Cross Ambulance treated the boy on the asphalt before loading him into the ambulance.
“He was treated rapidly here at the scene and then transported, which would indicate there are some serious injuries,” Williams said. “He was conscious and breathing while here at the scene.”
Bystanders who arrived on the scene shortly after the boy was hit said his parents arrived in time to ride along with him on the way to the hospital.
The sole occupant of the Nissan was a man driver, and he remained at the scene cooperating with police. Williams said the circumstances of the collision were still unknown, and an investigation was underway with the accident investigation team.
“Right now you’ll see some markings on the road that mark different points of evidence or interest to us,” Williams said. “We’ll photograph it all, get our drone up in the air and do an aerial photo, and then if we needed to we could come back and reconstruct this entire scene again after they’ve marked everything.”
At least six police officers in as many vehicles responded along with two engines from the Washington City Fire Department. The large response was typical of an auto-pedestrian collision, Williams said.
Just down the street from where the collision occurred, children continued playing in their driveway while neighbors tried to take in the scene from their doorsteps or approach first responders to ask what was going on.
“We’re in the middle of a residential area here, and kids are all over,” Williams said. “I’m not putting fault or blame on anybody, but whether we’re walking, playing or driving we just need to be aware of everything that’s going on around us so we can all stay safe.”
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