Teenager Killed in Accident at Arches National Park
A teenager was killed in a collision that involved two vehicles just outside of Arches National Park.
Details about the Fatal Accident
The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that a 15-year-old was killed in a collision involving two vehicles that happened just outside of Arches National Park on Saturday afternoon.
After arriving at a stop sign on Arches Scenic Drive at about 1:41 p.m., the driver of a 2012 Jeep CJ was attempting to make a left turn onto the southbound section of State Road 191 when it was hit by a 2013 Toyota RAV4 that was heading north, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
The impact of the collision cased the Jeep to roll and the RAV4 to spin and come to a stop in the roadway. The passenger in the Toyota was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Colorado where she later died. The 15-year-old is believed to have been wearing her seatbelt incorrectly at the time of the accident.
The other three passengers in the vehicle, including a 5-year-old child, were all properly restrained and suffered only minor injuries.
At this time, police do not suspect that alcohol, drugs, or speeding were factors in the accident.
Important Information about Motor Vehicle Accidents
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are thousands of wrongful deaths of people involved in motor vehicle accidents every year in the United States:
- In 2013, there were a total of 32,675 people who were killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States.
- During the same year the number of wrongful deaths in motor vehicle accidents was 219 higher than it was the previous year.
- There were 25,000 more people non-fatally injured in motor vehicle accidents in 2014 than there were in 2013.