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Tragedy struck in Saratoga Springs today when a 4-year-old boy, who was riding his bike, was hit by a minivan driven by a 15-year-old neighbor. The teen was driving without a license.
The little boy was flown to Primary Children's Medical Center where he died. Doctors did all they could to save the young boy's life, but his internal injuries were too severe.
It was 7:30 a.m., the child was at a bus stop with his mother. As the bus pulled away, the 4-year-old boy hopped on his bicycle and crossed the street. "A 15-year-old, unlicensed driver who was driving alone, attempted a left turn to follow behind the school bus but didn't see the little boy on his bicycle," Cpl. Aaron Rosen, with the Saratoga Springs Police Department, said.
The 15-year-old rounded the corner and hit the 4-year-old boy as junior high students on the bus and the little boy's mother watched. "He was in shock and had apparent internal injuries and broken bones, that type of thing," Rosen said.
The two boys live on the same street. "He's a young man whose life will not be the same, and this little boy's family will not be the same," Rosen said.
Rosen says the 15-year-old had received a warning before for driving without a license. "He was in a family vehicle, and at this point, who gave him the vehicle or who gave him the keys, that's unclear," he said.
Either way, he shouldn't have been driving. He did not have a learner's permit, which would have allowed him to drive legally at 15 if he had a parent or legal guardian in the front seat.
Wallace Wintle, with the Drivers License Division, said, "It requires some experience to be a safe driver. We have found throughout the years as we've tested the young drivers that was the one thing they were really lacking."
Tonight, the strained Saratoga Springs neighborhood deals with a tragedy that affects almost everyone on Wagoneer Road. Neighbor Kate Brighton put it well when she said, "It should not have happened, it should never have happened."
The Utah County Attorney's Office is screening the case but, as of tonight, no citations have been issued and no charges have been filed.
E-mail: corton@ksl.com
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
