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PAYSON — Speed did not play a role in the accident that killed a Payson teenager on his birthday, police said Wednesday.
Adam Renik, 14, was hit by two cars while walking to school near 600 W. Utah Avenue on Dec. 7. While some neighbors speculated that speed may have been a factor, Payson Police Lt. Bill Wright said that isn't the case.
"From the get-go when we got there and saw where the cars had come to a rest, it did not appear that speed was going to be a factor in it," he said.
Most if not all Payson City residents have heard and been impacted by a 14 year old boy that died in an automobile...
Posted by Payson PD on Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The witness who called in the accident had been following the car that hit the teen first for a long time, according to Wright. In the police report, the witness said they had actually been feeling impatient before the accident because the driver was going slow.
The second driver had just turned onto Utah Avenue and traveled about half a block when Renik was struck by the first car and pushed in front of the other vehicle. There is not a crosswalk or traffic light in the area where the accident occurred.
"We're not blaming the young man, but he may have darted out into the road and didn't leave enough time for the drivers to react," Wright said. "It's just a really, really tragic event. Any loss of life is tragic, but boy, with young people it is even more so."
The Payson Police Department has concluded its investigation, and the Utah Highway Patrol is finalizing a diagram of the accident. No charges are expected to be filed against the two drivers.
