COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — A man died after he was hit by a car near Bella Vista Elementary in the second auto-pedestrian crash on the Cottonwood Heights road this week.
Police say the man, 57 years old, was crossing Fort Union Boulevard when a driver was not paying attention and hit him.
"The dynamics of the two crashes are a little different, tonight's incident there was a darkened roadway, he was wearing dark clothing," said Cottonwood Heights Sgt. Gary Young. "Not sure why they didn't see him."
Earlier this week a young pedestrian was in the hospital after being hit by a car while crossing the street nearby Monday evening.
Cottonwood Heights resident Adriane Mckean-Munson says the killed man used to be her neighbor.
“He didn't do anything to anybody. He was just a nice, quiet adult," Mckean-Munson said. "I’ve seen him almost get nicked on the way home, and he followed the rules. He was just doing what a pedestrian should do."
While she claims to have had many close calls in her neighborhood, this week has been the worst for the community in a very long time.
“I’m afraid to let my kids walk to school without a crossing guard because I know something's gonna happen," she said. "I tell my kids all the time, don't trust a driver out here. They're not gonna see you, they're not gonna stop."
According to City Councilwoman Ellen Birrell, this particular stretch has road was identified to be problematic there had been plans made to make it more safe for pedestrians.
“It is gonna make things safer for all. All of our residents of Cottonwood Heights would benefit if we changed our focus from moving motorists through our streets and roadways to a focus on safety for all users," she said. “What we know now is it’s not enough to put up flashing lights around crosswalks or have people carry flags.”
Police say the crash occurred around the intersection of Fort Union Boulevard, the 12-year-old boy was struck by a car while crossing Fort Union Boulevard near 2115 East. Both were near the elementary school.
Sweet Streets board member Levi Thatcher has been an advocate for making roads smaller to force drivers to slow down and be more aware of their surroundings near common crossing areas.
“It's about having a pedestrian refuge island in the middle of the road. It's about making the road have fewer lanes for vehicles and it is having hawk lights more safe crossings mid-block," he said. “I would encourage the residents of Cottonwood Heights to contact the mayor look up their city rep, their city council person and ask them to spend the money it's up on those representatives to protect the citizens and they're not doing the job.”
