Bicycle vs. car in rainy weather; teen taken to hospital
WASHINGTON CITY — A teen was struck by a car while attempting to cross Green Springs Drive Wednesday evening and was transported to the hospital by ambulance just as previous inclement conditions turned to freezing rain.
Shortly after 9 p.m. officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to a call on N. Green Springs Drive involving a bicyclist that was struck by a vehicle, Washington City Public Information Officer Ed Kantor said.
Upon arrival, officers found a 15-year-old teen on the ground. The youth was quickly transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center with “possible injury to his lower extremities,” Kantor said. Officers also found a red Chevrolet SUV parked nearby.
The 68-year-old man driving the SUV told officers he was heading north on N. Green Springs Drive when the teen rode directly in front of his vehicle approximately 100 feet before the intersection with W. Buena Vista Boulevard. The driver had no time to react, and his vehicle struck the juvenile. The man immediately pulled into the Chevron station on the corner to wait for police and medical help to arrive.
“The teen was trying to make it across N. Green Springs Drive just as the vehicle was approaching the intersection,” Kantor said.
Kantor said it was possible, given the rain that descended on the area so quickly, that the teen was racing across the street to try to escape the weather.
The driver of the SUV was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. No citations were issued at the scene, Kantor said. “There were no traffic violations committed on the part of the driver.”
The teen did not appear to be wearing a helmet when he was struck by the vehicle, Kantor said. Specific information regarding the nature of his injuries or current condition are unknown at the time of this report.
In 2015, 817 cyclists were killed on U.S. roadways – 612 of whom were males – according to a report released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. A majority of these deaths involved a significant head injury. Less than 17 percent of those killed were wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
“Helmet use has been estimated to reduce the odds of head injury by 50 percent,” the report states, “and the odds of head, face, or neck injury by 33 percent.”
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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Numerous responders assist when a 15-year-old male is struck while riding his bicycle across the intersection of N. Green Springs Drive and Buena Vista Boulevard Wednesday night, Washington City, Utah Feb. 22, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Numerous responders assist when a 15-year-old male is struck while riding his bicycle across the intersection of N. Green Springs Drive and Buena Vista Boulevard Wednesday night, Washington City, Utah Feb. 22, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
15-year-old rider on a silver Mongoose bicycle is struck by a 2011 Chevrolet SUV while riding across N. Green Springs Drive on a rainy Wednesday night, Washington City, Utah Feb. 22, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Washington City Fire Department responds when a 15-year-old rider on a silver Mongoose bicycle is struck by an SUV near the intersection of N. Green Springs Drive on a rainy Wednesday night, Washington City, Utah Feb. 22, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
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