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John Daley reportingJulia Robertson, Friend: "It has to be safe for our kids to cross the street. Just, it's a no-brainer."
A high school student in Salt Lake City was hit by a car two weeks ago while trying to cross a busy street. He died from his injuries a week later.
Have transportation agencies done enough to make the intersection safe?
Talented. Full of wit and full of life. Those are words friends and family are used as they remembered the life, and mourn the death of 16-year-old East High student Sebastian Osman.
At the intersection of 1300 East and 700 South in Salt Lake City, neighbors tell us there have been three kids hit by cars in the last five years.
Sebastian Osman was hit there. There's a bus stop, but no crosswalk.
It was sunny Saturday morning. A beautiful day for anything but a funeral. Unfortunately that's where friends and family of East High sophomore Sebastian Osman find themselves.
Ian Ward, Friend: "He had a smile that could light up a room."
Julia Robertson, Friend: "It's such a devastating tragedy to so many people for so many people. For Sebastian's family and friends. We're talking about 15 and 16 year old kids being pallbearers."
John Darley, Friend: "It's a big impact on me and some of Sebastian's other friends. We're just trying to deal with it as best we can."
John Darley was with Sebastian February 17th. They were returning from lunch with another friend when Sebastian was hit. That day a UTA bus stopped at the bus stop. Sebastian went to cross the street, as he did, he was hit by an oncoming car. He died in the hospital a week later.
John Darley, Friend: "He just assumed I guess a car wouldn't be there and right as he got out in the other lane, he got hit."
There are 4000 students attending four schools within a three block radius of the accident. But students and neighbors say the intersection has a baffling layout. There's a crosswalk on the north side, but not the south where the bus stop is.
Neighbors say they've appealed to UDOT for help...to no avail.
J.R. Clark, Friend: "There should definitely be a cross walk there, I mean accidents are happening all the time. That's the least they should do."
Julia Robertson, Friend: "We have to do something. We need a lot of voices on this one. To get this changed. To get it safe. To get the bus moved. To get something more there."
Both agencies told me this afternoon they're concerned about this intersection. A UTA spokesman says they're planning to investigate and would work with UDOT to move the bus stop if necessary. A UDOT spokesman says they'll do an analysis of the intersection to determine whether there's anything they can do immediately to make it safer.
