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City of Layton makes improvements to crosswalk where teen died

Posted at 6:42 PM, May 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-19 20:42:43-04

LAYTON, Utah – The city of Layton teamed up with a local business to make safety improvements at a crosswalk where two teens were hit by a distracted driver.

Just steps away from a business called Object Systems International sits a crosswalk on 199 North Fort Lane. It was the scene of a horrible accident in January.

Police say Leroy Clark was distracted as he drove through the crosswalk. Clark hit two teens, killing one of them: 17-year-old BaiLee DiBernardo.

“It was an absolute tragedy,” said Steve Garside, a  Layton City Public Information Officer.

The software development company approached city leaders with a solution. They donated $5,500 to use towards safety upgrades.

“They want to be a part of the community, and we appreciated their assistance and willingness to step forward,” Garside said.

OSI tried to remain anonymous, but word of their generous donation somehow got out.

Now pedestrians and drivers can benefit from their good deed.

“We added the yield signs, we added paintings on the pavement as well as the solar panels that allow the lights to have the blinking lights on the circumference of the signs,” Garside said.

While the city says the crosswalk already met safety requirements, they wanted to add another layer of protection where people would have enough warning to slow down so everyone makes it across the street safely. Still, they said all of that effort means little if drivers don't pay attention.

“Regardless of what we put out there, if someone's distracted, it's not going to help,” Garside said.

The city has made similar improvements at three other crosswalks.