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TAYLORSVILLE -- A Taylorsville man is facing negligent homicide charges in the death of a crossing guard last winter.
Jim Smith died January 1, 2009--two weeks after he was hit by a car while getting his crosswalk ready for the morning rush at 5930 South and 2700 West.
At the time, Jim's son, Keith Smith, told KSL he'd talked to the driver who struck his dad on Dec. 16.
As usual, Jim Smith walked out into traffic just after 7 a.m.--wearing his vest, holding a stop sign and a cone--to set up the crosswalk for students. But that day, he was hit by a passing car in the snow.
"I've talked with him, the person who hit my father, several times," Keith Smith told KSL. "He's very remorseful, and it's been really hard on him. I can only imagine."
The Salt Lake County district attorney is charging Paul Riddle, 52, with negligent homicide, failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and speeding in a school zone.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
