MURRAY, Utah — Following a crash that left a motorcyclist dead, Murray residents continue to voice concerns about an intersection that they say has been a traffic issue for years.
An unidentified man was killed Tuesday following the accident near 5900 South and State Street.
Neary five years ago, Jason Danielson was involved in an accident at the same intersection, leaving him with a broken clavicle and three cracked ribs.
"When the light went green, the left hand turning driver was inpatient, decided to cut in front of the truck. His failure to yield meant I didn't see him, I wasn't expecting him to go, he also didn't see me, he thought it was safe to go and he cut me off," he said. "I ended up dumping my bike, sliding."
The suspect in Tuesday's crash, Catherine Thulin, was allegedly driving while impaired and recorded a blood alcohol level four times over the legal limit.
Commuters like Danielson have concerns about the intersection itself.
"The intersection is misaligned, especially in the left hand turn lanes," he said. "Anybody turning left is actually looking into the passenger seat of the car across from them, so they have a hard time seeing oncoming traffic."
Danielson thinks having permanent protected left hand turns would make the intersection safer.
"Anybody turning left doesn't always see the oncoming traffic and they choose to go when they think it's safe," he said.
The Utah Department of Transportation says the intersection currently has both green protected left hand turn signals and flashing yellow yield left hand turn signals, depending on the amount of traffic.
"At other points in the day, it makes more sense to have that yellow caution where you only turn when it's safe to do so, and that way vehicles can flow on either side and it's left up to the drivers discretion only to turn when it's safe to do so," said UDOT spokesperson John Gleason.
Although impairment appears to be a major factor in Tuesday's crash, UDOT says it will still take a close look at the intersection.
"It all has to work together," said Gleason. "That's people out there driving, make sure they're making proper decisions behind the wheel. Don't drink and drive, and from our stand point make sure we're always monitoring our roads, and if a traffic situation changes and there's adjustments, we need to make we're making those adjustments as well."
