UPDATE 3:15 p.m. June 22: Marva Cutler’s daughter, Jenny Drummond, advises that her mom remains in critical condition. “Her body is just broken,” she expressed, mentioning broken femur and other bones, things that happen when a body is hit by a car.
Drummond indicates that Cutler will be having many surgeries, possibly beginning as soon as tomorrow depending on her stability. Drummond says that the doctors are happy that Cutler is giving responses.
“That’s my mom, she’s a fighter,” says Drummond.
As Drummond pointed out, “it’s way too soon” to make prognosis, “when you have an injury, you have to give the body a chance to heal.”
St. George News for itself, its staff and its readers, continues to offer support and respect for the Cutler Family, immediate and extended.
Update written by Joyce Kuzmanic
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2011, all rights reserved.
ST. GEORGE – Yesterday morning Marva Cutler, 59, went for a morning stroll. She wasn’t far from home when a motorist abruptly changed her life.
Just before 8 a.m., a passerby called police saying Cutler was lying in the road at approximately 3100 S Little Valley Road, and needing urgent medical attention. She was the victim of a hit and run.
Sgt. Craig Harding said that, according to evidence found at the scene, a vehicle had crossed the center of the road and drove into the opposing lane, hit Cutler, went up a hill and then drove away. Officers are following leads on that driver, but no one had been taken into police custody at the time of this article.
Cutler was life-flighted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas where she is in critical but stable condition. Her injuries are serious, but she had a “restful night”, said her daughter, Jenny Cutler Drummond.
Cutler’s neighbor of 14 years, Edith Porter, said the neighborhood is shocked.
“Not that an accident would happen,” Porter said, “but that someone would drive away and leave her. They needed to render her help. She was in desperate need of help, and they drove off so they must be a desperate person.”
Harding said the speed limit on that road is 35 mph. He did not say the driver was speeding, but Porter said it is not uncommon to see people speeding on that road.
Donna Kidman has been friends with Cutler for almost 17 years and said it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cutler were out jogging that morning.
“She’s very active in keeping herself fit,” Kidman said. “We just got back in town yesterday … and I just heard about the accident yesterday evening. It makes me sick that someone can do that. There used to not be much traffic go up and down there … but it’s built up so much now.“
Kidman said many residents might not realize that you can longer reach the terminal at the replacement airport from that road.
Kidman described Cutler as “zany” and “very quick to friend somebody.”
“She is not shy,” Kidman said. “She’s very outgoing, bubbly, bubbly personality, talks a hundred miles an hour. She is the glue that holds the whole family together.”
Porter said Cutler “[lives] a good life” and [has] her life planned out.
“She loves her family dearly,” Porter said. “She supports them in every way. Her daughter lived with her for long time while in the process of saving and building a new house. She [has] a plan for her future. She [has] a family plan with long-term goals that [are] going to include her children building homes and living out here in Little Valley and all the things Little Valley had to offer.”
Both Porter and Kidman described Cutler as a woman who “[lives] her faith” and is very active in her church. Porter said Cutler is quick to make friends and they shared many life events with each other, from weddings and births of grandchildren to funerals.
“She helps everybody,” Kidman added. “She’s the first one there if someone needs help. She’s a deep thinker. She asks questions that are meaningful. She’s not superficial in the questions that she asks. She’s not superficial in the answers that she gives.”
“I love her dearly,” Porter said. “We hope the best for her. I hope she can recover from this.”
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2011, all rights reserved.