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OREM — A woman and her niece are in critical condition after getting hit while crossing State Street in Orem.
According to Lt. Craig Martinez with the Orem Police Department, a 51-year- old woman and her 6-year-old niece were crossing State Street going westbound near 1200 North just before 5 p.m. Martinez said that while they were in a crosswalk, they were crossing against the light.
The two individuals managed to make it across two northbound lanes when a car struck them in the left-most northbound lane, Martinez said.
A 36-year-old female driver in the left northbound lane saw other cars stopping and began slowing down as well, even though she was unable to see the two individuals in the street at the time, according to Martinez.
"She was unable to see the two of them crossing the street until it was too late and she hit them," Martinez said.
The woman and her niece were thrown about 40 feet. Both were taken by ambulance to a local hospital in critical but stable condition. The 6-year-old was later flown to a different hospital. Martinez did not identify the hospitals.
Martinez said both the woman and her niece sustained head injuries as a result of the accident.
The incident is currently under investigation by the Orem Police Department, though Martinez said they don't anticipate giving any citations.
"Some people seem to think that because they're in a crosswalk, they have the right of way. That's not always the case," Martinez said. "When you're crossing against the light, the cars have the right of way. That doesn't mean (drivers) can just mow down people if they see fit, but it takes away some liability from them."
Contributing: Paul Nelson