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WEST JORDAN - Police arrested a 24-year-old man after they say he hit a woman and three children in a crosswalk. It happened around 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Grizzly Way and Bridle Creek Way (5100 West and 7430 South).
The woman was crossing on Bridle Creek Way with her 18-month-old daughter and her 2-year-old niece in the stroller. Her 4-year-old son was walking with them when Cody McCormick struck them going southbound on Grizzly Way.
There were skid-marks across the intersection indicating that, at some point, McCormick tried to stop the car.
"The driver was southbound on the roadway and swerved to the right side of the road to try and avoid them at the last minute," said West Jordan police Sgt. Jeff Jewkes.
The 4-year-old boy was flown the Primary Children's Medical Center in critical condition.
"He had extensive head injuries at the scene," Jewkes explained.
The woman and the two other children are OK, but were taken to the hospital as a precaution. There were also two children in McCormick's car who are doing fine.
There were a few witnesses, as well as neighbors who came out after the accident to help.
Neighbor Mindie Huntington said, "You heard screeching and screaming. It was sad. When I came out, you saw all these people just helping this mom and the children, and there was blood. There was just everything going on before emergency help got here."
The intersection has a 2-way stop going east and west, but because McCormick was heading southbound, he was not required to come to a complete stop before going through the intersection.
The accident happened in a residential neighborhood, but there are big, wide roads in the area. Neighbors say they've contacted the city numerous times to try to do something to get people to slow down in this area.
Police say they're aware of traffic concerns.
"We have had problems with crosswalks," Jewkes said. "We've run traffic enforcement stings in the past on this roadway, as well as 4800 West."
Police do not believe McCormick was speeding, but they say he showed signs of impairment at the scene. Investigators also found prescription medication in his car, but they don't know if it was his.
McCormick was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on DUI charges.
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Story compiled with contributions from Marc Giauque and Nicole Gonzales.
