MURRAY, Utah — The family of a 53-year-old woman who was killed in a hit-and-run incident last week after being struck by two cars while crossing a Murray street is speaking out, hoping someone who knows anything about the drivers will come forward.
Kimberley Jean Jespersen died from her injuries after being struck just after 11 p.m. on Thursday near 4500 South and State Street.
"I didn’t think I would be burying my mom,” said Nastasha Dickison. "That’s not something you’re prepared for ever."
Murray Police said Jespersen was in the crosswalk when a dark-colored hatchback turned onto 4500 South and struck her. She then appeared to be standing at the driver’s side window when a second car, a dark colored truck, approached from behind the first car, swerving around it and striking Jespersen a second time.
“Who knows if that truck would have stopped? Maybe something could have happened and changed this,” Dickison said.
The Utah Highway Safety Office says the growing number of hit-and-runs in the state is troubling.
“Hit-and-run crashes are so frequent here in Utah — it’s absolutely unacceptable,” Jason Mettmann said. “The alarming trend that we’re seeing here in Utah is that over the past 5 years, minor injury and suspected serious injury crashes are going up every single year since 2019.”
In 2024, there were 192 instances where a driver hit a pedestrian and left the scene, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety. So far in 2025, there have already been 100 cases where a driver hit a pedestrian and took off.
Jespersen was a mother of four and a grandmother to ten grandchildren, with her family sharing that she was the kind of person who could easily make friends just about anywhere.
“She was kind, caring, and fun," Dickison said. "Most of all, she was a mom, a grandmother, and daughter.
“She’s going to be missed so deeply."
The family set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs, and Murray Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 801-840-4000.
