Boy, 10, and little sister killed by SUV while walking to Utah school, reports say
A 10-year-old boy and his younger sister were killed while they were walking to a Utah elementary school when an SUV struck them on the sidewalk, reports say.
The SUV got into an accident at 800 East while traveling west on 700 North in Provo shortly after 8 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29, the Provo Police Department said on Facebook.
The SUV crossed eastbound lanes, hitting the siblings, a 10-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl, police said.
Afterward, the “car collided with a porch and hit a gas line,” KSL News reported.
The children and 59-year-old driver, Darren Albertson, were taken to the hospital where all three were pronounced dead, police said.
“This loss of life, it’s right here in Provo and we feel it, and we feel for these impacted families,” Provo Police Capt. Brian Taylor told KSL News.
The city echoed Taylor’s sentiment.
“Our community is grieving today,” the city tweeted. “We are heartbroken at the tragic loss and our prayers go out to the families and friends at this difficult time.”
The children were on their way to Wasatch Elementary School, FOX 13 reported. It’s a 10-minute walk from where the accident occurred.
“Obviously, it’s tragic. It’s unfortunate that it could ever happen to anybody, but have two of our students walking to school, excited for the day, it’s just a sad day for everybody,” Caleb Price, spokesperson for the Provo City School District, told the outlet.
The district will have grief counseling services for the school communities, according to police.
“Having two children from the same family lose their lives while walking to school is a bitter kind of tragedy. Yes, we have dealt with fatal traffic accidents before, not one precisely like this. We’re deeply moved,” Taylor told FOX 13.
Police said its accident investigations team is looking into the accident.
Provo is about 45 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Boy, 10, and little sister killed by SUV while walking to Utah school, reports say."
