Boy knocked off bike after being hit by car near elementary school

Incident
The scene of an auto-pedestrian incident near Paradise Canyon Elementary School in St. George, Utah, Aug. 20, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Amber P., St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A child escaped serious injury after being hit by a car near an elementary school in St. George Tuesday morning.

Police responded to the auto-pedestrian incident just before 8 a.m. in a neighborhood next to Paradise Canyon Elementary School off Dixie Drive involving a 9-year-old boy on a bicycle and a woman driving a passenger car.

St. George Police officer Tiffany Atkin said the boy was riding his bike on the wrong side of the road at the time of the incident.

“The driver came up to the stop sign with the intention of making a right turn,” Atkin said. “A witness stated she only looked left and then proceeded after the stop.”

As she proceeded past the stop sign, she hit the boy, knocking him off his bike and then running over the bike.

The scene of an auto-pedestrian incident near Paradise Canyon Elementary School in St. George, Utah, Aug. 20, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Amber P., St. George News

Atkin said the boy ended up with scrapes and bruises on his elbows and was picked up by his mother.

The driver was cited for failing to yield after a stop.

Atkin advises bicyclists to always ride in the same direction as traffic.

“I know it’s hard because they are kids, but when people are on bikes, they should act like a car and follow those same rules,” she said.

Atkin said parents could go a step further and teach their children to get off their bikes and walk them when they need to cross a street.

With school back in session, school district officials are also asking drivers to be extra alert with increased vehicle and pedestrian traffic throughout Washington County.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

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