ST. GEORGE — Three juveniles were hit by St. George drivers Thursday, prompting St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell to create a video, now posted to Facebook, urging both pedestrians and drivers to be cautious.
While making the video, Mitchell stood in front of the Smiths grocery store on Bluff Street, at the intersection of Tabernacle Street and St. George Boulevard, after two juveniles were hit while crossing the crosswalk.
Mitchell told St. George News that the juveniles were evaluated in a Gold Cross Ambulance before returning home with their parents.
The driver said she did not see the children, but Mitchell said she is unsure why, adding that the driver was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.
While police originally thought four juveniles were hit by vehicles, the number has since been reduced to three, Mitchell said.
At approximately 8 a.m., two children rode their bikes in front of a truck stopped at a red light on 100 South Main Street, Mitchell Said. One child was hit, sustaining scratches, while the other avoided the vehicle and was reportedly unharmed. Following the crash, the children went to school.
The driver was not cited, Mitchell said.
Mitchell said the two crashes are examples showing that neither drivers nor cyclists are completely at fault.
“It’s a good reminder to teach our kids and remind ourselves that we have to check and double-check to ensure that drivers see us before we step or ride out into the roadway,” she said. “They cannot assume that the driver has seen them. And drivers need to also double-check for pedestrians and cyclists before entering or continuing on a roadway.”
Mitchell suggested in the video that drivers slow down, leave the house earlier and reduce distractions, noting that drivers should not only put their phones down but anything else in the vehicle that might serve as a distraction.
“So guys, we honestly – we have got to do better,” she said. “We have got to slow the blank down and double-check and triple-check before we pull out of parking lots in our driveways and make turns. We have just got to do better.”
Citizens should talk to their children and remind them that drivers are distracted and to make sure it’s safe before attempting to move through an intersection, Mitchell said.
“I’m sorry that this has happened today,” she said. “But again, we’re all responsible for each other and for ourselves.”
The St. George Fire Department also responded to the calls.
This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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