News

Actions

Family of boy injured in Taylorsville hit-and-run raises concerns about intersection

Posted at 9:40 PM, Aug 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-23 23:40:47-04

TAYLORSVILE, Utah -- A young boy is recovering Wednesday night after he was hit by a truck in a Taylorsville crosswalk Tuesday, and the driver who struck the child sped away after the crash.

The incident happened Tuesday near Calvin S. Smith Elementary just after school got out.

Eleven-year-old Brett had just got done with his second day of school and was making his way to his grandparents' house, but when he got here he was hit by a truck.

His grandfather says it's a miracle Brett is alive.

“I got a phone call from my daughter, she was in tears and encouraged me to run over there as quickly as I could, so I got in my car just to go over around the block,” said Gene Maxwell, Brett’s grandfather.

It was Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of 6200 South and Margray Drive where Gene found his grandson in the road.

“It's tough, tough for all of us,” Maxwell said.

Brett was walking home with his younger sister when he was hit by a truck.

“You hate to hear your daughter crying, my granddaughter was across the street crying, and I couldn't get over there,” Maxwell said.

Witnesses say the driver sped away. Countless questions swarmed Maxwell's mind until finally he was told his grandson was going to be OK.

“My worst fear was eliminated with that statement, so thank God for great firefighters,” Maxwell said.

But the feeling of worry and helplessness is one Maxwell knows all too well. It was more than 20 years ago when his son, Brett's uncle, was hit by a car on this same street.

“I’ve been through this before and I don't know, you get kind of numb and you're not really sure what to think and you're just hoping it's going to be OK,” Maxwell said.

And the day after Brett was hit, a crash happened in the same spot right before school got out. Parents say had it happened minutes later, then children would have been hit.

As for Brett, his family is grateful it wasn't worse.

“That's the nightmare you try not to think about too much,” Maxwell said.

Brett is sore and scraped up, but they hope he can go back to school soon.

We don't know exactly what happened or if the driver ran a light, but parents here say this is dangerous spot and that they have complained to the city countless times.

Brett's family hopes drivers will pay attention so no one else has to be a victim of this preventable tragedy.