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WEST JORDAN -- Three teenagers are recovering after being hit by vehicles while trick or treating Monday night. One accident happened in Weber County, the other in West Jordan.
Two girls from West Jordan underwent surgery -- one at Primary Children's Medical Center, the other at Intermountain Medical Center. Police say both are in serious condition; however they are expected to recover.
Witnesses say the two girls - a seventh grader and a ninth grader- stepped out from between two trees and were struck by a van near 6400 South and 4800 West around 9 p.m. Monday. The impact sent one of the girls up and over the van's windshield.
A man who lives nearby, Ernesto Gonzalez, saw what happened.
"I was going to my bedroom so I kind of closed the curtains to my living room. That's when I heard the impact. That's when I turned around and saw the girl roll on the van, smash the windshield and roll down," he said.
Gonzalez says he and several other people ran to help the girls, who looked like they had suffered facial and bone injuries. He says he then ran to help the driver, who looked like she had hit her head. Police arrived within a few minutes.
Officers say poor visibility in the area may have contributed to the incident and speed does not appear to have been a factor.
About a half hour later another teenager was hit while trick or treating in the Weber County town of Uintah.
A 13-year-old boy was walking along 6600 South at about 2300 East when he was struck by a vehicle driven by a 71-year-old woman.
Lt. Matthew Bell of the Weber County Sheriff's Office said, "From our standpoint, it was an accident. There were no contributing factors. There's not a sidewalk on this portion of the street and it's extremely dark. He was on the pavement on the road, but just on the side of the pavement."
The boy was taken by ambulance to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden and then flown to Primary Children's Medical Center in critical condition. Police say his injuries are serious but that he too is expected to recover.
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Written with contributions from Shara Park and Andrew Adams.
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