ST. GEORGE – An 8-year-old boy was taken to the hospital Thursday after being struck by a car on 100 East.
The report of an auto vs. pedestrian incident in the area of 490 South 1100 East came in around 4:30 p.m., St. George Police Sgt. Jared Parry said at the scene.
“At this time is appears a northbound vehicle on 1100 East struck a child that darted out in the road,” Parry said, adding that speed did not appear to be a factor in the incident.
The boy was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center by ambulance for care and examination, Parry said, adding that he was unable to verify the extent of any injuries.
The driver of the passenger car was an adult woman who appeared to be shaken by what happened.
Orange marks on the road marked the position of the car’s tires when it struck the boy.
As the incident was still under investigation at the time, no citations had yet issued, Parry said.
The neighborhood where the incident occurred is filled with homes and apartments, as well as off-campus housing for Dixie State University students.
Area resident Sam Garlick said children run across the street all the time while motorists don’t pay attention to the 25 mph speed limit.
“People come up and down this road on 1100 East at 45-50 miles an hour and it’s a 25 mile an hour speed zone,” Garlick said. “And I have kids – everybody has kids – and it just worries me right to death all the time. … It’s ridiculous.”
Garlick has two girls who are 5 and 9 who cross the road to play with children across the street and worries some speeding driver may not notice them in time. He watches his girls cross to make sure it’s safe, but there’s still a chance something could happen.
“See, this guy just hit his brakes because he saw that policeman right there,” Garlick said as he pointed to a passing car nearby. The officers had moved to the side of the road at this point and were no longer in the middle of the street where the incident occurred.
Though he was glad speeding doesn’t appear to have been involved in this particular incident, Garlick and others who gathered outside to see what happened said they’d like to see police patrol the area more in order to deter speeders.
Gold Cross Ambulance also responded to the scene.
This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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Twitter: @MoriKessler
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
hopefully it isn’t too bad
“People come up and down this road on 1100 East at 45-50 miles an hour and it’s a 25 mile an hour speed zone,” Garlick said. “And I have kids – everybody has kids – and it just worries me right to death all the time. … It’s ridiculous.”
the trend on dixie dr is about 50-60mph now. never see anyone get pulled over. cops not enforcing this leads to speeding trends. not enough grandeur in traffic policing for them to bother, i suppose.
Agree that the speed limit is not adequately enforced in this town. Red light cameras are also badly needed. Not sure why people drive like maniacs around here. Praying the boy recovers completely.
Everyone slow down and pay attention, get off or your damn phones. Hope the little boy recovers. Someone in the family didn’t teach him to not run out in the street? Drivers shouldn’t have to look out for YOUR kids! and you shouldn’t have the older ones watching the younger ones. Poor child, prayers…..
I agree! I do not condone speeding, but at the same time, some parents do a horrible job at teaching them NOT to run out into the middle of the road. And if you can’t control your kids, then keep them inside. This is the USA, not me-hee-ko.
Don’t blame the driver …its the kids fault plain and simple. go talk to the parents
I am sure we would all agree that it would be worthwhile exploring engineering options, before a child is run over. 1100 East facilitates access to a lot of residential units on both sides of the long street. The speed limit is only a “suggestion” like so many other streets in S.G. / Washington County. A cross-walk at a central location, with traffic lights, has been successful in Salt Lake County at reducing pedestrian injuries. Speed bumps are another option to moderate traffic speed.
St. George is a scofflaw paradise for drivers.