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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Highway Patrol has seen a surge in the number of people hit on state highways over the last few years.
More than two dozen people have died after getting hit by a vehicle on a freeway since 2010.
On Tuesday, a 17-year-old boy was hit by a vehicle while retrieving an item that fell from a trailer. He was still listed in critical condition on Wednesday.
Troopers urge everyone to secure their loads before they leave home.
“We don't want you out of the vehicle at all,” said UHP Sgt. Brent Shelby. "People are getting struck all the time now unfortunately because they get out of that vehicle thinking that they have time to do whatever they're trying to do."
That's the most straightforward warning from troopers for any kind of mishap that forces you to pull over on the interstate.
"Whatever it is that you lost on the roadway, it's not worth your life. Just don't do it," said UHP trooper Alec Giles.
Troopers encourage drivers to pull over, keep your seatbelt on and call 911. Troopers will slow down traffic so they can go out and get your things.
“Do not try to go out in the roadway to retrieve it,” Giles said. “The cars are going much too fast, a lot faster than you think. You won't have time to get that item without our help."
Cars travel the distance of a football field in less than three seconds at highway speeds.
"People are driving fast and they're driving distracted,” Shelby said. “That's a lot of the things contributing to these kinds of accidents.
A woman was nearly killed when she was hit trying to retrieve a bicycle that had fallen off of their trailer in Parleys Canyon a few years ago.
Sgt. Shelby truly knows how that feels.
He was hit Christmas Eve back in 2012 while setting out flares after a crash. He missed a year of duty because of his injuries.
"It happened in just a split second," Shelby said. “I went from being upright and able to being struck by a vehicle and being seriously injured, almost killed."
