SALT LAKE CITY – Neighbors say an incident Saturday night where three children and their father were hit by a vehicle while they were trick-or-treating is a stark reminder of the importance of driving safely and watching for pedestrians, especially on Halloween.
Three children under the age of five and an adult were taken to the hospital Saturday night after a truck hit them while they were trick-or-treating.
“The little wagon was right under the front of the truck,” said Linda Carr, a witness and nearby resident. “And it looked like, it would be, the right side of the truck was dented in.”
The children and their fathers were crossing the street at 2100 South when a truck driving westbound turned onto 400 East and hit them in the middle of the crosswalk.
Carr was there after the accident and spoke to a woman who was in the truck that struck the children.
“And I mean, she was visibly shaken and I felt kind of bad for her,” Carr said.
It happened on the corner of 400 East and 2100 South around 7 p.m. A one-and-a-half year old, two three-year-old children, and their 41-year-old father were taken to the hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries.
Salt Lake City police say it’s a reminder for drivers to be aware.
“Anytime you’re approaching a crosswalk, you should be mindful of pedestrians, whether you see them or not,” said Lt. Michael Hatch of the Salt Lake City Police Department. “Like I said, you should slow down and, like I said, keep your eye out.”
Carr says a lot of drivers tend to speed down 400 East.
“People come whipping around this corner, and when I pull out of the driveway, I’ve almost been hit a couple times, myself,” she said.
Police say it doesn’t appear the driver of the truck was impaired, but the accident is still under investigation.
