HURRICANE – Police released additional information Thursday about an incident involving a teenager who was killed late Wednesday night when he was struck by a pickup truck in Hurricane.
The teen who was killed is a 14-year-old boy from Hurricane, Sgt. Brandon Buell, of the Hurricane City Police Department, said. Because the boy is a juvenile, his name has not been released to the public.
At approximately 10:47 p.m., the boy and three other juveniles were walking south on 700 West, on the east side of the roadway, Buell said. At that same time, a blue 2006 Toyota Tacoma, driven by a 26-year-old man, was traveling north on 700 West when his truck drifted to the side of the road where the four juveniles were walking.
Three of the juveniles were able to get out of the way of the Toyota truck, but the 14-year-old boy was not, Buell said. He was struck by the truck and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Investigators found the point of impact to be approximately 6 feet away from the sidewalk curb.
“The driver stated he had reached for an item of food just prior to the crash,” Buell said, adding that the driver of the truck has been cooperating with the investigation.
While 700 West is one of the main roads through Hurricane used to get to the south end of the city, Buell said, there are homes and neighborhoods in the area.
“There are street lights at the intersection,” Buell said, “but this took place in the middle of the intersection where it was darker.”
Investigators spent several hours at the accident scene Thursday morning gathering evidence and information, Buell said. Utah Highway Patrol assisted in the investigation with the use of a three-dimensional scanner to diagram the scene of the crash. Authorities closed 700 West for approximately six hours.
As this report is published, the driver of the Toyota truck has not been issued any citations, however, the investigation is still ongoing, Buell said.
“This is a very tragic situation for a 14 year old to lose his life,” Buell wrote in a statement. “This is a reminder of the importance of constantly paying attention while driving and using a sidewalk when walking; it only takes seconds for a life altering incident to take place. Our hearts go out to the families involved.”
Buell said there is a curfew law, but there was no curfew violation at the time the crash occurred, as the curfew for anyone under the age of 18 was changed from 11 p.m. to midnight in Hurricane.
The boy’s body will be transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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It’s obvious there are sidewalks there; why don’t people (not just kids) use them?
In our neighborhood, it’s common to see four women pushing baby strollers, walking abreast, taking up the entire roadway — when there is a sidewalk for them to use.
You can walk and “meet” later to talk. Meanwhile, I shall continue to honk loudly at you.
I completely agree. We moved here from Boise about seven years ago. I have never lived anywhere, including small towns, where so many people (of all ages) refuse to use the sidewalks. They are designed for pedestrians, yet nearly everyone seems to think they need to walk a car width or more out in the street away from the sidewalks. Maybe someone native to the area can explain this logic?? There really needs to be some education on the purpose of sidewalks vs the purpose of roadways. Very sad situation for all involved!
Very sad.
This is terrible.