- Police investigate a fatal crash involving Miguel Pineda on Sept. 6.
- Pineda, training for the St. George Marathon, was struck by a pickup truck, police say.
- The driver, initially unaware, returned 30 minutes later to find Pineda.
ST. GEORGE — Police are continuing to investigate a fatal crash involving a pickup truck and a man training for the upcoming St. George Marathon.
About 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, Miguel Pineda, 26, was hit and killed on state Route 18 near the Ledges overpass. According to court records, Pineda was one of three men — all best friends — training that day for the St. George Marathon. They were planning to run 20 miles that day.
After the first friend finished his run, he called Pineda, who asked if the friend could bring him a gallon of water because he was cramping. "During the run, all three used their phones to share their locations, allowing them to check on each other, periodically," according to a search warrant affidavit.
About the same time, a Washington County man had left his residence with his three young daughters to purchase a birthday present for his wife, the warrant states. He was driving a 2024 GMC Sierra Denali and headed toward St. George.
"There is construction on state Route 18 north of the Ledges area and again south of the Ledges area. While driving southbound, just past the Ledges overpass, he felt and heard an impact on the passenger side of his vehicle. At the same time, his mirror snapped closed against his truck door. The lower convex mirror shattered and broke off the housing. (He) stated that he thought he had hit one of the construction barrels or candlesticks and chose not to stop at that point, continuing south on state Route 18," court documents state.
Meanwhile, Pineda's friend drove up and down the road looking for Pineda, but could not find him, and he was no longer answering his phone. The second friend arrived in the area and, while looking for Pineda in shaded areas on an off-ramp, he spotted a pickup truck stopped on the shoulder and a man walking outside the vehicle. Both friends then saw the man "suddenly start acting out of the ordinary and start running back toward his truck," according to the affidavit.
Police say that was the moment that the driver "located Miguel lying in the bushes in a puddle of blood and had run back to his truck to grab his cellphone to call 911."
The driver of the GMC began performing CPR on Pineda and then Pineda's two friends took turns providing CPR after they arrived at the scene.
Police said the man "was emotionally distraught" and "kept stating over and over he never saw Miguel and thought he only had hit a barrel or cone."
But investigators also note that the man did not return to the scene and locate Pineda until more than 30 minutes after the collision.
Investigators filed a search warrant in 5th District Court on the impounded pickup truck "as part of the accident reconstruction process" and are hoping to retrieve pictures in the truck's database from the front camera. As of Tuesday, no arrests have been made or charges filed.
In Pineda's obituary, his family noted that "Miguel loved running and was preparing for his first full marathon on Oct. 4. He had found a new passion and love for running and spent months preparing for this race.
"'Mege' was a family man, always punctual, extremely hardworking, soft spoken, artistic, brotherly, easy to talk to, loving and easy to love," the obituary continued. "He spent his life protecting and guiding his younger siblings to ensure that they did not endure what he did. He was the strongest of us all, the peacemaker, the fearless defender. There wasn't a time when Miguel didn't love or serve his family."
