- A high school student was hospitalized after being hit by a truck in Pleasant Grove.
- Police urge drivers to be vigilant following multiple incidents involving children in crosswalks.
- Lt. Derek Shumway emphasizes community efforts and crosswalk safety to prevent future accidents.
PLEASANT GROVE — Police in Pleasant Grove are pleading with drivers to be extra vigilant while traveling through the city's neighborhoods.
"Over the last several months, we've had multiple children that have been struck while entering the crosswalk or crossing streets or riding their bikes," said Pleasant Grove Police Lt. Derek Shumway, in a video published on the city's Facebook page Thursday evening.
The message comes hours after a high school student was hospitalized after being hit by a truck while walking in a crosswalk Thursday morning near Pleasant Grove High School.
The incident occurred about 7:40 a.m.
Shumway said the girl was unconscious at the scene. He added that the driver is cooperating, and police don't believe impairment was a factor.
A statement from Alpine School District said the girl had been stabilized. Her condition has not been released.
Thursday's incident follows two similar instances where young people have been hit by cars on Pleasant Grove streets.
On Oct. 3., police said a 6-year-old boy riding his bike was critically injured after being struck by a car in front of Lincoln Academy, located at 1582 W. 3300 North.
And on April 29, 9-year-old Dalton Gibbs was hit and killed while riding his bicycle and crossing 2600 North at 900 West in Pleasant Grove.
Police said that driver, an 80-year-old Cedar Hills man who hit him allegedly left the scene, but was later found for questioning. He was charged back in September with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a third-degree felony.
Shumway urged drivers in Thursday's video to slow down, pay attention on the roads, and to "treat every neighborhood that you're driving through as if a child or a kid could enter the roadway at any minute."
He added that preventing future similar accidents needs to be a community effort, which includes ensuring children understand crosswalk safety rules.
"We all live in this city; we all live in this community, and we want to keep it as safe for everyone as possible," Shumway said. "Our kids, our parents, everyone that's in this city has skin in the game."
